The Wanderer: A Leaf in the Wind
by Darth Malleus
Summary: Confused and intrigued after the mission in the Land of Waves the wandering Samurai returns to the place of her birth, to learn more about herself and her origins, but what will she find, and what will her decision on her own future be? Continuation of The Wanderer.
1. Prologue

_**Naruto**_

_**The Wanderer**_

_**A Leaf in the Wind**_

_**Summary:**_ It has been six months since the events in the Land of Waves and the Chunin exams are approaching. A young Samurai decides to accept an invitation, will learn secrets of her past, and must choose the path of her future.

_**Category:**_ Action/Drama/Adventure

_**Rating:**_ T

_**Disclaimer:**_ Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto, the characters and original plot completely belong to him. I'm just burrowing his characters for a while... what the hell I'm borrowing his characters, reimagining them and tossing them into an alternate story of my choosing... that's what fanfiction is all about.

* * *

_**Prologue**_

She sat on her knees in the shadow of an age old oak tree, chest exhaling and inhaling slowly as she took in and released calming breathes of air. A light breeze brushed past her, ruffling her unkempt mane of blonde hair as she fell deeper into her trance, a form of meditation passed down to her by her sensei.

Naruto took in another deep breath and hummed in elation, for but a moment forgetting that she was supposed to be meditating. She couldn't help it though, being in this climate, far away from any signs of civilization, where the air was clear and the water crisp, so different from the air of towns and cities she had visited these past several months.

Suddenly he shook her head, bringing her hands up to smack lightly into her whiskered cheeks to bring herself back to reality. This was not the time to lavish in the tranquillity of her surroundings. This was the time to quieten her mind and meditate, to fall into that trance and find the answers she was seeking.

It was a shame that she wasn't cut out for meditation.

She spent a further half hour in that state, attempting to find her spiritual centre and failing miserably. The longer she spent sitting still the more impatient she became. Finally she growled low in her throat, a growl which morphed into a howl of frustration.

"Why the hell is this so hard!?" she exclaimed in frustration and anger.

"Perhaps you're thinking too much, Naruto." A soft voice chided softly from high above her. Naruto's head snapped up, blonde hair flailing with the movement, to the thick branches of the tree she was taking refuge under to level a glare at her companion and self appointed retainer. He had started to open up to her as they continued to travel but he had also gained a bit of a streak in sarcasm.

"Haku, you're really not helping."

The Ice Ninja looked down from his perch on one of the oak trees thickest branches, taking a few moments from reading his book to study his companion as she fumed below him. "Perhaps you should think of something calming, like a babbling brook or a field of flowers."

The glare his friend threw his way said everything about his opinion and with a sigh the Land of Water native went back to his reading. "That's what I've been trying to do this whole time."

"Hmm," Haku hummed under his breath, absently turning a page. "Then perhaps we should change strategies, maybe instead of thinking of calming things you should think of nothing."

"Think of nothing?" Naruto asked with a frown.

"Yeah, like clearing your mind of any thoughts and emotions." Haku continued, eyes dancing right and left as he continued to read and give out advice. Meditation was something he only knew in passing. "I know it will be difficult, with your tendency to be a little hyperactive on occasion, but it is worth a try."

Once again he ignored the glare his female charge sent his way, remaining silent as he watched her roll then relax her shoulders, close her eyes and wait as she attempted to fall back into some sort of meditative trance. He mentally counted the peace and quiet until her next outburst, three minutes and forty two seconds.

She cried out in annoyance, right hand forming into a fist which she then slammed into the dirt to her side. "Why is this so hard?"

"I've been meaning to ask this Naruto, but why are you trying to meditate?" Haku noticed her go rigid for a moment before looking back at him. "I mean meditation isn't really something tendered to your personality, and there is no real advantage to you being able to use it from what I can see, yet you have persisted on it for the last four months and not really gotten anywhere."

Naruto looked at him for a long moment, then sighed and reached over for her katana, picking it up midway along its sheathed form and bringing it up to eyelevel. She placed her other hand on the hilt, and unsheathed a few centimetres, just enough for the glistening liquid steel of the blade to become visible for a moment before snapping it shut again.

Haku watched the scene, attention now fully on his charge. He noticed her whiskered cheeks crinkle slightly as she cracked a feral smile. "You'll think I'm crazy if I tell you."

"I think you're plenty crazy now." Haku replied, snapping his book shut and swinging his legs over the branch to dangle in midair.

"It's to do with this sword." Naruto began, eyes not leaving the well crafted weapon held in her hands. "Do you remember the battle we had on the bridge?"

"Yeah, I remember." Haku replied, grimacing slightly at the memory.

"When you had beaten me I was all but spent, another blow probably would have finished me." Naruto set the katana back on the ground, continuing to stare at it. "It was then that I heard a voice."

"A voice?"

"Yeah, a voice," Naruto affirmed, looking up and twitching slightly when she saw the slight frown mar the Water Country natives features. "And don't look at me like that! I'm not crazy."

"I didn't say anything," Haku placated softly. "What exactly did the voice say?"

"Some very colourful things, called me an idiot and a moron for one." Naruto replied with a shrug of her shoulders, "Kept telling me over and over again to call her name."

"How do you know the voice was a she?"

"I just know." Naruto replied, clearly becoming very nervous as the conversation progressed, eyes on the ground and shoulders rising and falling in another shrug.

Haku sighed, "Relax Naruto, I don't think you're crazy. Just tell me."

Naruto was silent for a long moment. "I think the voice I heard was from the sword."

Haku tilted his head to the side, and then gazed upon the sheathed weapon lying in front of her cross-legged form. He scanned it for a long moment before closing his eyes in concentration. "So the voice came from the sword, as in it being sentient?"

"I don't know," Naruto shook her head. "I do remember a few lectures Sensei gave me about the sword when he first gave it to me. He told me that I had to learn to communicate with it, learn from it, and know it. I originally thought he simply meant that I needed to learn how to use it in combat, but now I'm not so sure."

Haku was silent, himself thinking.

"Hey, Haku," Naruto spoke up after a long moment, hand absently patting the weapons scroll hidden within the folds of her kimono. "If I remember correctly Kirigakure had seven swords with supernatural properties, including the one sealed in this scroll... were there ever any stories, myths that they could... you know?"

"Be sentient?" Haku asked, seeing a nod from his master. "There were a lot of myths and stories about those swords. It was a well known superstition that the swords chose the masters and not the other way around, and more than one of them seemed to be alive."

"Alive?" Naruto asked.

"Hmm," Haku nodded his head thoughtfully. "There was one, called Samehada. I had only seen it once, before Zabuza-sama and I abandoned the village, but it immediately put me on edge. It seemed to be alive, exuding an aura of hunger and animal instinct, though it never spoke."

"I'm guessing the wielders of the seven swords were very secretive of them?"

"More or less," Haku agreed as he placed his closed book into the confines of his own kimono. "Samehada was the only real one I can think off. The others, including Zabuza-sama's own, didn't give off the same aura. They were weapons fused with some kind of power, giving them supernatural abilities but never giving off any sign of being fully sentient."

"I see." Naruto sighed.

"All I can say about the seven swords is that they are unique. There had never been any created like them before or since in the history of the elemental nations." Haku leaned back, dark eyes looking up at the clear blue sky. It had been difficult to speak about Zabuza-sama or anything related to him at first, but now he could talk about his former master and not feel a pang of pain in his heart.

Then he felt it, several presences approaching from up ahead. Using his hands he pushed himself from the branch and landed easily on the ground, even as Naruto reached for her sword and slowly rose to her feet, cracking her shoulder blades as she did so.

"They're here."

"I know," Naruto replied, feeling a nice pop as she rolled her head in a circle. "About time they decided to show up. Let's go Haku."

"I'm right behind you, Naruto-sama."

The two walked from the shade of their oak tree into the clearing, a large mass of flat land at the edge of a large lake which must have been a full kilometre across. It reminded Haku somewhat of a similar plot in the Land of Waves, the site of the failed ambush between his former master and the Konoha Shinobi.

Naruto placed her sheathed katana into her obi sash as she walked, reaching into her kimono to pull out a familiar piece of cloth which she then used to tie back her long blonde locks into a ponytail tightly and perfectly, her azure eyes did not waver though, looking across the flat land at their target.

There were about a dozen men at the other side of the clearing, dressed in chipped and faded armour and dirty fatigues. The one at the lead was the one who had her undivided attention. He stood a full head taller than his associates, tall and lanky with slicked back greasy hair, a lit cigarette clamped in his teeth and a katana at his hip.

The look of irritation was well seen on the leaders face as he saw the two of them approach, and his associates were also beginning to get edgy, hands on the hilts of their motley assortment of weapons. Naruto and Haku stopped, and watched as the larger group slowly approached.

"Who the hell are you?" the man demanded in a gruff voice.

"Takeshi Sakamoto, I presume?" Naruto asked in a calm voice, "Leader of the Blood Pack Bandits?"

"Yeah, that's me girly."

"Good," Naruto smiled brightly. "My name is Naruto, my associate here is Haku. We are here as representatives of Hana Yukimura."

He spat his cigarette from his mouth, looking Naruto up and down with a glance which definitely held ill intentions, "Never heard of her, girly."

"Oh, is that so?" Naruto asked, and her bright smile morphed into one without the slightest trace of joy, but as hollow as they come. "Because she remembers you very well, in fact she remembers every waking moment of her time as your captive, maybe you'll remember her better when I tell you the name of her father, Gin Yukimura?"

The big man was thoughtful for a moment, then his lips twisted into a toothy grin, "Oh yeah, that bastard farmer that wouldn't give us some funds for our activities, now I remember. She was a good one alright, her screaming and crying brought a tear to my eye, you know."

"Glad you do," Naruto's smile was completely gone now, replaced by a face of stone yet her eyes told the bandit exactly what she thought of him. She drew her katana slowly and pointed the liquid silver blade right at him. "Takeshi Sakamoto, for the crime of kidnapping, assault and rape I have been sent to bring you in."

"So the local law sends a little girl to do a man's job?" Sakamoto's grin widened as his bodyguards drew their weapons and slowly began to advance. "I didn't expect them to be so inadequate, but I suppose I should thank them. Another little toy for me and my boys to break, I'll have you squealing just like that bitch did."

Haku noticed it, the grip on his masters sword tightening until it was clanking. He didn't move, but simply waited until she gave him the order.

"Haku," the name came out pointedly, with authority so different from the girl a few minutes ago.

It was an order.

"At once, Naruto-sama," Haku responded, hands coming together to form a set of seals; "_Kirigakure no Jutsu._"

The mist came, seeping into existence with the help of the lake to their right. It wasn't long until it became so thick that it was almost impossible to see ten feet in front of one's face. Naruto and Haku were different though, an advantage of them being partners for the last six months was that they had learned of each other's abilities. Haku had taught Naruto how to see in the mist. It was actually quite simple, pulsing chakra into the ground at their feet to act as sonar, picking up any footfalls within the vicinity. It was actually a more advanced chakra control exercise for the denizens of Kirigakure, a step above water walking.

It wasn't long before voices could be heard, full of confusion and borderline panic. But the duo weren't finished yet, not by a long thought.

"Close them in." Naruto commanded next.

Haku nodded, hands going through a separate set of hand seals, activating his Kekkei Genkai to unleash his signature technique, "Makyō Hyōshō."

The dome of ice began to appear next, hundreds of sheets of ice no different from a mass of mirrors, utilised perfectly with Haku's sonar technique to completely enclose their targets, making sure that their targets could not escape from them. The technique complete Haku let out a breath and caste his eyes to his new benefactor.

"It is done."

"None escaped?" Naruto asked.

"None," Haku clarified.

"Good," Naruto nodded her head, falling into a basic sword fighting stance, blade held to her side. "Take out his guards, but the leader is mine."

"Off course, Naruto-sama," Haku agreed before fading out of her line of vision, moving too and becoming one with the dome of ice mirrors he had created. It wasn't long before the shouts of confusion became screams of panic as Haku began firing off volleys of his signature ice needles and senbon.

Naruto smirked, raising her drawn katana and falling into a basic stance, blade held slightly to the side as she lowered her head and waited for her enemy to make himself known to her line of sight. There she waited, listening closely to the flurry of needles and kunai, the shouts and cries of surprise and confusion.

Then he came.

Her smirk widened into a blood thirsty grin.

* * *

He staggered through the thick mist, eyes twitching as he attempted to see through the inhuman barrage before him. He had expected his opponent to be many things, but someone with knowledge of chakra control wasn't one of them. He expected police, soldiers, maybe some wandering mercenaries but not a Ninja.

Ninja never concerned themselves with such regional matters. They usually only concerned themselves with matter of national security, or of exterior threats to the nations sovereignty. They almost never concerned themselves with simple thugs and bandits like them. Even then it was usually a Genin squad with an instructor, and they very rarely hit them head on like this.

He had expected just a handful of police; never had he thought to encounter an experienced individual trained in the arts of a Shinobi. That made for a dangerous adversary. The Samurai was another matter, she would be the weak link of their duo, just strike her and the battle would end.

She was also obviously the leader.

Takeshi felt a grin edge across his face as he drew his katana from his hip and began to wean his way through the thick mist. He could find nothing, attempting and just barely ignoring the sounds of his bodyguards screams of pain and surprise as they were targeted and immobilised, maybe even killed, by the Shinobi's attacks.

Takeshi was ready though, waiting for a projectile to pierce the mists surrounding him. He was more than a simple street thug, with training and ability enough to block and counter things as easy as senbon, shuriken and kunai. He was a former border soldier, one who knew chakra control, not to the extent of a Shinobi, but just enough to be considered adequate.

Then he found his opponent, a grin spread across his features.

It was the Samurai. It was so obvious, even in this thick mist. The long hair done up in a long ponytail flailing in the wind, the just barely visible, round shaped face, the kimono and even the katana held to her side, ready to strike. The stance alone told him that this was the Samurai member of the duo, a swordfighter's stance.

"Finally here?"

That feminine voice, definitely that of a girl and not of a man. This was definitely the Samurai and not the Ninja who was creating this mist.

That opponent was beatable.

"I must admit that I'm disappointed," Takeshi allowed with a sadistic smirk as he fell into a basic sword-fighting stance. "I was expecting a Shinobi to fight me, not a wannabe Samurai."

"Oh," came the reply, azure eyes opened looking upon him with nothing but contempt. "What makes you think I'm inferior to my partner?"

A flash of movement.

That was all he had seen.

The next thing he saw was her slim frame well within his guard, both hands grasping the hilt of the katana, ready and prepared for a diagonal stroke across his chest. A flash of a smile, another flash of a weapon being brought into a diagonal slash with such speed and precision that all he had seen was a glistening blur of steel, a long silence and finally an explosion of crimson as his own blood flowed from wounds he was unsure he had sustained.

Takeshi could no longer breathe. All of his strength had left him. He fell to his knees, sword falling from weak and limp fingers to fall onto the ground as he continued his descent. He recognised the red across his vision as his own blood, and managed to look behind him in time to see the girl he had so woefully underestimated.

She stood with her back to him, swishing the blade of her katana with such speed that the blood on the blade flew to the ground in a spray of crimson. The blade was just as quickly sheathed within the scabbard, secured by an orange obi sash at her hip. Even with his vision fading he saw the look in her eyes, one of satisfied bloodlust and glee.

"Done," she whispered in a voice not her own, with a smile belonging to someone far older and with more blood on their hands. "Done and done."

* * *

_**Author's Note: **__The second instalment is up and running, and as to Naruto's bloodlust that will be explained later in the story. I give you three guesses as to who is utilising this technique at the moment._


	2. A Gathering

_**Chapter 1**_

_**A Gathering**_

Naruto opened her eyes and after a moment of contemplation sighed. She was here again. An underground cavern of seemingly endless passageways and corridors stretched out before her, miles and miles of long sinewy hallways, walls and ceiling made out of earthen coloured tiles and bricks, ceiling covered by a mass of black wires and cabling which seemed just as endless as the maze itself.

The continuous dripping of water echoed through the sewer, striking her ears at every three to five second interval. Naruto had been here long enough to know the layout of this labyrinth. The deeper one went into its depths the worse the maintenance seemed to be. The walls would be chipped, the tiles would be shattered or cracked, and the deeper one went the more water would be noticeable, from puddles and potholes to entire corridors, from ankle to waist to even neck deep in some places.

What was worse was the otherworldly presence which seemed to permeate the air here. The deeper you went into this maze of corridors and caverns the stronger it seemed to become, as if the very air itself was becoming tangible, like a weight was falling on your shoulders, little by little, with every step you took.

The noise was worse. A continuous inhale and exhale of heavy breathe, like some great beast was waiting for you in the depths of this prison. In this case it was the truth. Naruto had come to recognise this noise, and accept it as a part of the mechanisations of this hellish place buried deep within her subconscious.

This corridor wasn't a mental image of her subconscious. She knew for a fact that her mind wasn't nearly as bad as this. No. This was the strength of the seal etched into her belly. A subconscious protection mechanism to stop any would be trespassers from entering the depths of this prison without her expressed permission. She was different. This was her seal, her prison; she knew subconsciously how to make her way through it to its source.

So she did, following pathways and corridors which seemed so familiar to her that it was almost terrifying, how she knew pathways she rarely ventured so intimately. Only a handful of times she had ventured into this cell, and every time it was with a purpose. She couldn't say that she or her tenant got along, but they at least seemed to understand and recognise each other.

Finally she reached the central cavern, a chamber deserving of the name cavernous. It was a huge box shaped construct, water seeping into the room up to her ankles, icy cold enough to make her shiver. Sighing Naruto slammed her hands together into a basic seal and concentrated, allowing herself to float up to the water's surface and remain there.

She continued to walk, until she was within twenty meters of the huge mass of iron bars holding her tenant at bay, a safe distance from his ebony black, sharp claws. Naruto folded her arms, closed her eyes and waited to be recognised.

A pair of crimson eyes opened in the darkness, several times larger than she herself, crimson orbs with black sickle like pupils which glared down at her with a mixture of amusement, hatred and hunger. Don't ask her how these three emotions could be combined, for she did not know.

"_**Ah, welcome back, Naruto."**_

Naruto glared right back at those murderous eyes, "You know why I have come."

"_**Hmm, off course I know."**_

"There is a new presence here," Naruto said simply, it wasn't a question, for she knew that the infamous creature behind those prison bars and insidiously complex seal was not one to answer questions without a lot of prodding and a lot more scrutiny. "I've sensed it for a while."

"_**Ever since that battle on the bridge you mean?" **_The Kyubi no Yoko, destroyer of civilisations, devastator of landscapes, said simply. _**"I too have sensed such a troublesome presence, little brat. The weapon you carry is the cause, for there is a spirit within which craves battle and blood."**_

Naruto was silent for a long moment, in contemplation. "Sensei never told me that such a spirit lives in this sword."

"_**Hmm, I wonder what else your beloved sensei has not told you." **_The fox said idly, though the grin on his face said that he was enjoying her indecision. _**"I have sensed this in not just this sword you carry but all others as well, each blade of your brethren has this same unnerving feeling."**_

"Unnerving?" Naruto asked with a slight smirk. "It's unnerving even for a creature such as you?"

"_**I never said that it was unnerving for me, but it must be for you," **_The creature closed in on the bars, shadows were cast aside showing a monstrous visage of crimson fur, manic eyes of blood, a vulpine snout and a grin of sharp white teeth. _**"Another presence within you; must be getting crowded. The only difference is that this one doesn't have the same restrictions I have, give it an inch and it can take your body from you in an instant."**_

"It's bad news for you as well, fox," Naruto replied, remaining calm.

"_**True, but I think I can survive it." **_The Kyubi no Yoko replied as it closed in to within a few inches of the bars of its prison. _**"The question is can you?"**_

Something whooshed right past her, so powerful it sent her hair cascading in a mass of flailing strands and curls, a crevice in the very ankle deep water she was standing on and the unmistakable sounds of a blade sinking into flesh following by an inhuman roar of pain and anguish from the creature on the other end of the bars.

Naruto stood there, riveted in place, watching as the katana shaped blade buried itself into the giant fox's cheek. The great creature recoiled from the strike, as if the weapon had hurt it before throwing its head back and roaring in fury and pain, which echoed through the cavernous walls, shaking the very superstructure and causing loose gravel and stone to fall.

Laughter echoed through the confines of the cell, feminine and without restraint. "Come now, you don't think you'll be affected by this, foolish old creature."

Naruto turned, slowly and with slight fear in her eyes as she recognised the presence behind her. She had felt it more than once before, bloodlust, willpower and insanity on a level so far above what she can unleash that it was frightening to see and feel. It felt like an ancient presence, hundreds of years older and more powerful than her own, looking down on her, challenging her and casting her to the side like an insect.

The young Samurai turned, and witnessed the source, sitting on a rickety wooden chair which wasn't there before, seemingly unimpeded by the ankle deep water around it. Sitting on this chair was a feminine figure, wearing a plain lilac coloured kimono, a scarf of dark purple wrapped around her neck, tail ends flowing down her form, long dark blonde hair, messy like a lion's mane, head bowed, features above the nose cast in shadow, a demonic grin of sharp white teeth. Her legs were crossed and arms were draped on high chair arms, a sword eerily similar to her own was sheathed within the confines of a pure white obi sash.

"Welcome, good challenger," the woman before her said with a vicious grin, raising her head to show dead greyish orbs and beautiful pale features, she ignored the pained and angry roars of the creature behind Naruto. "I have been waiting patiently for this moment, please do not disappoint me."

Naruto was silent, hand immediately on the hilt of her katana, "Wha-"

She was there, within her guard, once deadened greyish orbs holding an emotion of maniacal glee, blade drawn and held back, ready to plunge into her heart. She was within her guard, bypassing all of her defences, not even the Phantom step would be able to get her to safety in time. The woman looked at her with a mixture of amusement and bloodlust before thrusting the sword forward, through her skin and into her heart.

Naruto screamed.

She awoke with a start, eyes snapping right and left before settling in front of her, right where the strange woman had been about to stab her through the heart. Quickly Naruto placed a hand on her chest, feeling the rapid beating of her heartbeat, the heaving of her chest and the death grip she had placed on the hilt of her sword.

The dream again, she knew as she forced her breathing to slow. It had been coming more frequently lately, and it was always the same, same place, same characters and the same motions, like watching the act of a well rehearsed play. Ever since the incident with Haku on the bridge she had been getting these dreams and visions, and they had been slowly getting worse.

"Naruto-sama."

Sheer discipline and luck made sure she didn't squeak in surprise when her new self appointed Retainer was beside her. She remained as calm as she could, and was sure that it was enough to make sure he didn't notice.

"Yes, Haku?"

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she replied, now under control. "Completely fine, just a bad dream is all."

Her self-appointed Retainer hesitated for a long moment, "Are you sure?"

"Yes." Naruto replied, looking over and flashing the Land of Water native what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "I'm fine."

Haku still looked unconvinced, but after a long moment nodded his head. "Might I suggest that you stop eating so much before going to bed, Naruto-sama. It might be the reason for these nightmares."

"Yeah, I think I'll be lying off those for a while," Naruto agreed with a slightly forced grin. "A normal bed might do us both a world of good too."

"Us, Naruto-sama?"

"Don't think I didn't notice those back problems you've been getting," she chided, and smirked at seeing him flinch. True he had been getting pains in his back and shoulders from their camping expeditions, a good soft bed would probably do both of them a world of good. "We're just a day away from Tanzaku Gai, and from there Konoha."

Haku nodded, still not convinced that she was alright by his look as he turned back to the food cooking over the fire, a couple of wild rabbits they had caught that evening. Naruto waited until she was sure her self-appointed Retainers attention was back on the meal then fell into contemplation. That dream again, it had been hitting her over the last few months, and the closer they got to Konoha the worse they seemed to get.

It was scaring her, how real these dreams were getting.

* * *

Tanzaku Gai was considered one of the most thriving resort towns this side of the Land of Fire, full of hotels, spas, bars, nightclubs, casinos and holiday attractions which would make any man with a penchant for gambling start salivating at the mouth. It was also famous for its round walls and also for the historically ancient fortress, known as Tanzaku Castle, which towered over the much smaller structures.

The town was usually a busy place all year around, but it was especially busy at the moment, vendors and stalls lined the streets, full of food, drink and merchandise while large crowds of people milled through the streets in a barely controlled mass buying, window shopping and generally having a good time.

Through this mass of people walked two figures, both dressed in simple kimono's and both with and wide brimmed straw hats shadowing their heads, one wore three katana sheathed into a duo of obi sashes at his hip while the other had a huge claymore shaped sword strapped to his back. To say that they were gaining attention from the mass of unarmed civilians around them was painfully obvious.

"This place really is bustling," Shizuma said as he used his hand to tip up the straw hat.

"The Chunin exams are considered more than a simple rank climbing venture this side of the world," Izaya explained, craning his head to look at his larger companion. "They are held twice a year, in different locations across the Elemental nations, never in one place twice in a row and this is the first time Konoha has hosted one in nearly three years."

"Huh, really," Shizuma looked around, eyes unimpressed. "You seem to know a lot about this."

"Unlike you I read up on where we're going." The shorter swordsman replied in his typical dry tone, ignoring the heated glare he received from the taller Samurai as he began looking around. Naruto had invited them here, but they had searched through this town for the last hour and had yet to sight her.

"Let's find a place for a drink," Shizuma growled as he looked up, right hand raised to shield his eyes from the glaring midday sun. "We'll find the little squirt eventually, town isn't that big."

"For once I agree with you." Izaya replied, watching the tall blond man walk ahead of him on a steady path to the nearest bar, an open planned establishment with dozens of tables and chairs, most of which were in use, several barmaids were rushing back and forth with plates full of alcohol and food.

The two Samurai found an empty table right at the edge of the street and calmly sat down. It wasn't long before a waitress arrived, a pretty young girl with dark hair done in a ponytail, obviously nervous by their easily sighted weapons. Shizuma didn't seem to care and with a sigh Izaya turned to the nervous girl with a kind smile and a placating hand.

"Don't worry, we don't bite."

The girl nodded her head, though still nervous, "What can I get you?"

"Two jugs of your cheapest Sake please."

"Huh, why the cheap crap?" Shizuma asked indignantly.

"Because you lost most of your money in the last town over," Izaya replied irritably. "It's going to be a long month, and I don't like the idea of pilfering money of the rest of them when they arrive."

A grimace made its way to the taller swordsman's face, "I forgot about that."

"That you owe them all money?"

"Yeah, ah shit." Shizuma's face seemed to do the impossible as he grimaced again. "Ayame is going to be the worst of it. I owe her enough money that she'd be able to take a two week all expenses paid vacation to almost anywhere on the continent, and you bet your ass she's going to either take it from me or lob my head off."

Some five kilometres away from the town a tall, well endowed woman sneezed. "Hmm, someone must be talking about me. Probably Shizuma, I swear on the name of the Shogun's that he will get me my money, even if it kills him!"

Five kilometres back in the small outside bar Shizuma felt a great chill crawl up his spine, making his entire body shake. "I just felt a chill... in the middle of summer."

"Probably Ayame knowing you're talking about her and planning her next scheme to get back the money you owe her." Izaya replied flippantly. "You two did always have that weird ass connection when a Gathering is about to take place, from as far back as I can remember."

"Don't joke about that asshole."

"Ah I see, you were under the assumption I was joking. I humbly apologise."

"You wise ass."

"I suppose I should use this opportunity to pray." Izaya then proceeded to close his eyes, bow his head and clap his hands together twice to whatever powers that be that were listening. "Kami-sama, hear my prayer and grant my wish."

"I don't need prayer, prayer does jack shit. I need action!"

"You misunderstand, I wasn't praying so much for your safety as for your imminent demise."

"Oi, oi, aren't you supposed to be my partner?" Shizuma asked, a tick slowly becoming visible above his right eye, making said eye flutter open and shut. It was usually a very telltale sign that the Samurai's temper was burning away an already short fuse.

"A fact that will soon be rectified once Ayame gets her hands around your throat," Izaya replied calmly, continuing his prayer while opening a single eye to look over at his fuming partner. "Let's face it the wording for this impending moment can only be described as karma. You took all of her money with the promise of paying her back and then ran out of town once you woke up in a side alley, reeking of booze and with an empty wallet."

The taller swordsman was beginning to consider the many possibilities in killing his supposed partner and getting away before the Shinobi and local law enforcement began hunting him down, with Ayame most likely right behind them. As he was considering this the young barmaid arrived, placing two full pitchers of Sake on the table alongside a small drinking dish each.

"The worst part was that the money was to pay your debts, and you end up drinking it away like a moron." Izaya added idly as he poured a helping of Sake into his cup and took a sip. It wasn't the best Sake he ever tasted by a long shot, but it would do for now.

Shizuma was quiet, eerily quiet. He slowly picked up his pitcher and poured himself a cup, placing it to the side with strangely calm hands as he picked up the dish of Sake, looked at the clear liquid within and downed it in a smooth motion, he sighed as it burned down his throat and placed the empty cup on the table surface.

More silence.

"There is only one option."

"Oh this I have to hear." Izaya always loved it when Shizuma and Ayame met. The woman was the only one who could instil the concept of fear on the manic swordsman, who was known across the Samurai nations to fear nothing. It was like a well played out comedy, and Izaya had a front row seat to the show.

"I will go for the tried and true tested method."

"So you're going to hide behind Naruto _again_?" Izaya asked with a condescending smirk. "The great and powerful Shizuma, owner of the Deviant Blade _Sōtō Kanazuchi_, known back home as _Shizuma of the Crushed Rock_... is hiding under a teenage girls kimono rather than facing your fate like a man. I swear I have lost all respect for you."

"Shut up, you've never been on the receiving end of one of Ayame's tempers!" Shizuma scowled low in his throat. "Naruto is the only one who can calm her down once she loses it, and it's saved my ass more than once!"

"She usually has such a placid temper too. I think you're the only one who's been on the receiving end of it." Izaya replied flippantly, and then began to laugh, lightly but without much control. "The man who doesn't know the concept of fear hiding behind a teenage girl's kimono... ah this shit can't be made up."

"Shut it." The tall Samurai ground out, pouring another cup of Sake and downing it in a single go. He was silent again for a long moment, then slammed his cup onto the table's surface and stood up suddenly; surprising the other patrons and making the barmaid nearly jump out of her skin. "Where the hell is Naruto when I need her!?"

"Oh Kami-sama, please may Naruto be late so that justice may be done and karma may prevail." Izaya said stoically and calmly, once again clapping his hands together twice with his eyes closed and head bowed.

"Stop. Praying!" Shizuma ground out, putting particular emphasis on each individual syllable as he slowly reached for the hilt of _Sōtō Kanazuchi _with twitching fingers. "You're not even remotely religious so no one will answer you, asshole!"

* * *

"Are we there yet?"

"No,"

"What about now?"

"No,"

"...now?"

"No!"

"..."

"Speak another word and I will gut you like a fish."

"Eh, you're no fun."

"There's a difference in being fun and being insufferable, Ran."

"There's a difference between being serious and being a killjoy, Rin."

"It's times like this where you show that you're the youngest."

"Dearest sister, I thought we agreed that I was the oldest."

"We didn't agree, you simply said it and ignored my argument."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever youngling," Ran said, raising her right hand in a dismissive gesture which did little more than cause a narrowing of eyes and an angry frown from her twin. "Don't frown like that. You'll start wrinkling before your thirty."

"I will frown however I like," Rin huffed as she turned her head to the road and crossed her arms under her bust angrily. "Why do I put up with you?"

"Because I love you," Ran replied, hopping up to her and wrapping her into a playful hug, Rin was able to remain angry for about three seconds before sighing in defeat and returning her embrace with light flick of her sister's forehead with her one free hand. "Owe, Rin-chan. That was mean."

"Let's call that my payback for the day," Rin replied, walking with a little more spring in her step and a slight curving smile.

Ran sent her sister a pout, but shook her head and continued on her way. "I tell you what, I don't harp on at you about the distance anymore and you buy me a box of Dango when we get to Konoha."

"Share half with me and we got a deal."

"Hmm, sounds fair." Ran replied with a grin before turning back to her sister with an apologetic smile. "By the way, I know you'll probably hit me for this but... are we almost there yet?"

Rin sighed and reached into the billowing sleeve of her kimono, procuring a small scroll which she unwrapped and opened, revealing a detailed map of the entirety of Fire Country. She was silent for a moment, eyes scanning the large sheet of wrinkled paper before nodding her head in silent agreement and wrapping up the map again. "About another hour on this road and we'll be in the town of Tanzaku Gai."

"The meeting place," Ran agreed with a smile, throwing her fists in the air childishly. "I can't wait to see everyone again."

Rin hid the map back up her long sleeves and buried her hands in them, nodding in agreement with a silent hum. It had been a while since they had seen Shizuma, Izaya, Ayame and Naruto, and she was interested in meeting the Shinobi the blonde had somehow managed to convince to be her travelling partner and Retainer.

"The forest is starting to get thick," Ran said as she looked around, and Rin had to agree. They had left the plains and slopping hills some time ago, and now came into thick underbrush and tall trees which seemed to reach up and touch the sky. So these were the great forests of Fire Country, the natural layers of defence of Konohagakure no Sato, only the roads were considered safe, the forest was filled with venomous plants, killer animals and layer after layer of traps. For someone unfamiliar with the forest it was a killing zone.

"Let's keep moving," Rin said simply as she continued on, crimson eyes looking down at the ivory white hilt and scabbard of her Deviant blade, feeling a little better for its presence. She knew Ran felt the same with the abyss black katana sheathed at her hip.

"Sister?"

"I know," Rin nodded her head. "I sense them too."

"Back to back," Ran said suddenly but with finality. Rin hopped back a step while Ran spun around, backs hit and pressed together as the two of them drew their swords in flashes of movement. A hail of arrows fell from the canopy, only to be intercepted with simple movements of their swords, blocking the projectiles with sudden yet fluent ease.

By the time the barrage ended the dirt road was covered with arrows, bladed tips dug into the earth, only a circle surrounding the two sisters was clear of any pierced earth, only snapped and deflected weapons lay at the feet of the twins.

"Are you alright, sis?" Ran asked.

"To be hit with this level of trap would be considered an insult?" Rin replied with a calm yet impatient voice. "While the idea was sound the execution was sloppy, and the quality of weapon is third rate at best."

Ran looked at her sister, and then laughed lightly. "That's my sister."

The silence was interrupted by a series of thumps as their ambushers made themselves known. They weren't Shinobi, not based on their attire and weapons, simple tunics and pants, Rin guessed these were common highwaymen, thieves and bandits targeting small groups of people just outside of Shinobi held territory. It wasn't unusual for such groups to make temporary bases in such places, common in Samurai lands to the west as well.

"I have three in front of me," Ran said.

"Four." Rin replied simply, "And another five in the trees around us."

"Get your eyes tested sister, there's six."

"Where would I be without you, sister?"

"Hand over what you got," one of the bandits shouted. The leader they guessed. He was a youngish looking man with messy brown hair, dressed in a dirty white tunic with the front undone and no shirt underneath, brown pants and a pair of knives in his hands. "Gold, food, weapons and maybe we won't do anything more to you!"

"Well he's pretty confident."

"Wouldn't you be with this many people?"

"Nah, they're all second rate scum."

"I have to agree," Rin whispered with a smirk before bringing her attention back to the supposed leader of the bandits. "This is your only chance, turn around and leave."

"Why would we do that?"

"Because I and my sister will be sending you to the nearest mortuary if you don't," Ran sang in a condescending tone as she cracked her neck muscles.

"Little bitch." The thief roared angrily, and his subordinates responded by drawing their weapons, knives, short swords and even a few climbing axes. "We won't be going easy on you after all, prepare yourselves."

"Oh we're prepared, are you?"

The bandit leader glared angrily at the two girls, before raising his hand, "Fire!"

Nothing happened. A long silence descended upon the forest, with only the cawing of a bird of prey echoing through the vast expanse, no arrows fell, no other opponents appeared to surround and attack them. The bandit leader looked to his left and right hurriedly, angrily before bringing his hand up again. "Didn't you hear me dipshits!? I said fire!"

No answer.

"Oh, would you look at that," Ran said with a placid smile. "I think the guy's about to wet his pants."

"By the smell I'd say he already has," Rin replied simply before turning her attention to her left, crimson eyes scanning the forest. "Come out; come out, whoever you are."

There was a moment of silence, broken by a thumb to the ground to their left, Naruto stood there, just as they remembered her. She was still garbed in her orange kimono, katana within the confines of her obi sash, she had matured a little and allowed her hair to grow a few inches longer, but she didn't look that much different.

"Been a while," Rin greeted.

"Yo, Naru-chan!" Ran shouted happily.

"Yo, Rin-chan, Ran-chan," Naruto replied with a wide grin. "I took care of four morons in the trees here, what about you Haku!?"

A softer thumb revealed her self-declared Retainer, and the twins took special attention in him. He was about a year or two younger than Naruto they guessed, with long dark hair done up in a topknot, face covered by a plain white mask and dressed in a simple greyish kimono. "Three have been dealt with on this side, Naruto-sama."

"Seven," Rin whispered.

"We're getting a little sloppy." Ran agreed.

"Anyway they've been dealt with, so these cannon fodder are all yours," Naruto replied as she walked to the edge of the forest and sat against the trunk of a particularly thick tree, Haku appearing by her side thanks to a _Shunshin no Jutsu_. "Have fun!"

"Oh we intend too," Ran replied with a grin, mirrored by a more demure smirk from her sister as they parted and dashed towards their respective clumps of opponents. "If you believe in a god then I suggest you start praying to him!"

* * *

"Who is she?"

"Where did she come from?"

"What is this, a show?"

"Is that a katana?"

Shizuma stopped.

Izaya took a sip of his Sake, a deliberately long sip before bringing his attention to the owner of the ominous shadow cast over the manic swordsman, a friendly smile on his face as he raised his half full Sake cup in a friendly toast.

"Hey, Ayame, it's been awhile."

Shizuma just stood there, as still as a statue, eyes wide as saucers and hands trembling as he felt the sudden unnatural cold chill press against his back. He turned, slowly and with purpose, mind working a mile a minute to desperately find a solution out of this immediate and very real life threatening crisis.

She was still absolutely drop dead gorgeous, he realised absently, draped in a beautiful crimson kimono which accentuated her considerable curves, both on her chest and thighs, almost sinfully. That kimono was even now flailing in the sudden gust of an ill wind, along with her long crimson hair, emerald green eyes as piercing as any sword looked down at him with mischief and glee from a heart shaped face of perfect snow like skin

She was truly the perfect woman.

Her beauty had a feral quality to it, considering she was using a baluster to make herself taller than him, which was more intimidating considering normally she was a full head shorter than him. She was standing on it with perfect precision; arms folded and sheathed katana well within his line of sight.

Her presence did not go unnoticed, considering everyone around their table and even more than a few on the street were watching the exchange in a mixture of interest and curiosity. Some of the patrons on closer tables were even beginning to edge further away from her and Shizuma, a most wise manoeuvre for a bunch of untrained civilians.

"Hey, Ayame."

Her grin was feral and downright evil as she looked down at him, "You owe me money."

"I can explain!"

"Explanations are meaningless at this point," she replied in a honey sweet voice, delicate hand suddenly resting on the hilt of her sword. "I want to see some money, little man. I'll settle for no less than a tenth of what you owe me."

Izaya smirked behind his cup, even that much would be enough to live in the most expensive hotel in Konoha for the Chunin exams, all inclusive. He didn't have that amount on him, and probably never will with his spending habits.

"I... I don't have that much... on me." Shizuma said nervously.

"I see."

"You see?"

"I expected as much."

"Oh."

"Die."

"Die?"

"Yes," Ayame nodded her head, drawing the blade an inch from the scabbard with a wicked grin on her perfect features. "Die."

People were running over tables at this point, scampering along floors and tripping over chairs in an attempt to get at least ten meters away from the possible duel about to take place in their midst. Izaya couldn't say he blamed them, though he was confident in his own skills to remain where he was and not get hit.

A battle between these two would probably level the entire town, and would if not for one little fact. Shizuma couldn't raise his sword against a woman, Ayame most of all. That sense of chivalry didn't really help him with these types of situations though.

"Try not to die, Shizu," Izaya drawled playfully, once again lifting his cup in a mock toast.

"I. Hate. You... so much right now," Shizuma ground out, putting emphasis on each individual syllable as he took a steady step back. Ayame had fully drawn her katana at this point, and with the sudden space from her targets backpedalling hopped down to the ground, raising her sword horizontally, both hands on the hilt as eyes of green fire watched him with all of the subtlety of a hungry cat before a cornered mouse.

"I see, so you really can't pay me back... hmm, well then we're going to have to get _drastic_," Ayame explained with a predatory smirk.

"D-drastic?"

"Oh yes, we'll begin with the selling off of non-vital organs. Tell me which would you prefer to lose, kidneys or bone marrow?"

"Wowowowowow, let's take a step back and think about this for a moment." Shizuma cried as he stumbled back, words spilling forth from his mouth as he raised his hands in what could be considered both a placating gesture and a sign of surrender.

"I'd recommend the kidneys Ayame, easier to remove." Izaya advised with all the calm and simplicity of helping her choose what she was going to have for dinner tonight.

"But extracting the bone marrow would be long and excruciatingly painful." Ayame replied thoughtfully.

"Hmm, good point... but you're kind of on a schedule." Izaya explained. "Naruto should be here within the next hour, and we both know you can't say no to her once she makes that cute little pouting face."

"The puppy dog eyes are worse." Ayame agreed sagely.

"It's almost as if they're discussing whether to fry or roast me!" Shizuma mumbled under his breath as he backed further away along the veranda. One quick glance would tell you that all of the other patrons and staff were either out safely onto the street, trying to blend in with the walls or in the apparent safety of the cafe proper. No one was within ten meters of the trio.

"Hmm, kidneys it is then."

"I think she's beyond negotiations at this point." Izaya surmised before turning back to the redhead. "Just try not to make a scene with collateral damage. We've got Shinobi watching us."

"Please, shut up." Shizuma said simply as he edged closer to the stairs to the street.

* * *

"So how have you guys been?"

"Just came here from a job in the Land of Iron."

"Cool."

"Nothing special, just some rogue Samurai hunting, morons didn't even put up a decent fight."

The bandits had been easy pickings after their trap had been turned against them. It had taken a total of six seconds for the twins to wipe out the rest, and now the group of four were once again on the road towards the town, leaving a mass of bodies in their wake, all but the leader, who was being dragged by the twins, a foot in each hand.

"Why are you bringing him along?" Naruto asked.

"He must be worth something," Rin shrugged as she continued to walk.

"Yeah, we're getting a little low on cash." Ran added, blade leaning against her shoulder. "But if this guy is worth a few thousand Ryou then we should be good for a couple of weeks."

Haku watched the exchange with a kind of morbid fascination, once again having his opinion of what a Samurai was completely thrown out the window. He had expected the Samurai of their calibre to be proud, stubborn and unable to take such a simple job as bounty hunting or guard work.

"You're giving us a cut for doing half your work for you," Naruto said.

"A third," Ran chirped.

"I did say half the work, didn't I?"

"We took out the leader and his lieutenant, that's two thirds of the bounty right there." Ran countered.

"And we took out the snipers for you. That's half." Naruto replied staunchly, and then became thoughtful. "I'll settle for forty five percent."

"Thirty." Rin said demurely.

"forty," Naruto countered.

"Deal," Rin allowed with a smirk.

"Sis missed you Naru-chan, the only one who could keep up with her when she's being a tight ass." Ran said in a singsong voice with deceptive innocence.

Rin turned her head, long raven coloured locks tossing in the low breeze to send a glare right at her sister, who smiled serenely. The two of them would be considered identical twins, except for a few glaring differences. Ran was about an inch shorter than Rin, but had a larger cup size, which annoyed her sister to no end. She also had piercing blue eyes, in comparison to Rin's bright crimson orbs. Other than those differences they were almost identical, same sharp facial features, same hair colour at the same length and same straight style, same style of dress and same way of holding themselves.

"So who is your friend?" Ran asked, knocking the attention to the new face of the group.

Naruto shook herself from her thoughts and smiled as she raised a hand in the masked Shinobi's direction. "Rin, Ran. This is Haku, my travelling companion."

"Retainer, Naruto-sama," Haku countered.

"_Self_-appointed Retainer," Naruto countered right back.

Rin and Ran darted back and forth between the exchange before looking at each other with knowing smiles. The two then turned on Haku, who stopped in his tracks as he watched them drop their prize from lack of interest before approaching him.

"May I help you?" He asked.

"We want to see what's behind the mask," Ran said.

"As my sister hastily pointed out," Rin agreed more calmly. "We would like to see the face of the one protecting our friends back."

Haku hesitated for a moment, before sighing and raising his hand to grasp his mask, slowly pulling it from his face and up onto his forehead. The twins watched intently as he showed them his face. They became thoughtful, then they looked at each other and smiled in their own ways, personality was another great difference between the twins. Rin was regal, calm, in control, had an almost royal quality about her. Ran on the other hand was rowdy, carefree and very open with her emotions. A demure smile parted Rin's features while a toothy grin came across Ran's.

"I think we can allow it," Rin allowed.

"Yup, I agree." Ran added with a nod of her head.

"Very handsome, though a little feminine," Rin continued.

"That can be put right with the right kind of training." Ran countered.

"Would you two stop doing that? It's creepy as hell." Naruto said as she folded her arms under her bust.

"We will allow it," Rin said calmly, ignoring Naruto's glare.

"Oh yeah, I agree." Ran nodded.

"What?" Haku asked nervously.

"You have our permission to court her, off course." Rin informed.

"Mm Hmm," Ran agreed with several nods of her head in a sagely manner. "Let's face it, in another few years that girl will need a good thrust or she'll become a proper prude like Rin here."

"Oi!"

"Who are you calling a prude!?"

"You, of course," Ran replied, sticking out her tongue at her sister, ignoring Naruto going as red as a tomato and the slight colouring on the ice wielders cheeks; "You big prude you."

"For your information I am not a prude." Rin countered. "I have had a couple of boys over the years.

"Over the years," Naruto murmured, hand massaging her forehead and also hiding the redness of her cheeks. "They're only two years older than me for god's sake."

"That still makes us nearing nineteen and you nearing seventeen, Naru-chan." Ran said, once again in a singsong voice. "The time of blooming is coming, and you better have a glow about you and a saucy story by the time your eighteen."

"I'm in no hurry," Naruto shot back.

"Hmm, another prude in the making," Ran laughed lightly.

"Hey!" Naruto shouted.

"Shut up!" Rin growled low in her throat, grabbing Naruto by the arm and increasing her speed by a few paces. "Just because you met your soul mate early doesn't mean that the rest of us are that lucky."

"Don't be such a pessimist sis, you'll find your soul mate, I guarantee it."

"Soul mate?" Haku muttered thoughtfully as he moved to keep up with his master and her friend. He said it with the intent of it being heard only by him, but Naruto had better hearing than he had originally thought.

"It's a term they use, these two live by a strange mix of fate and life by choice."

"Oh."

* * *

"So we're agreed."

"Yes."

"I write off a fifth of your debt, and you become my slave for a month."

"Yes."

"My respect for you has lessened considerably more, Shizu-chan."

"Shut up."

"And you also become Izaya's punching bag for the next month."

"Oh yeah," Izaya smiled at the thought.

"Hell no, he tries to hit me I'll hit him right back!"

"Eh, so there are limits after all," Izaya muttered as he reached over for a full jug and filled up two cups of Sake to the brim. He took one, Ayame took another. They toasted to the agreement, and downed the liquid within a single gulp.

Shizuma was currently on his hands and knees, being used as a makeshift chair for the fiery haired swordswoman, much to the mirth of those around them, fight forgotten and normal life resuming. The near life and death fight about to take place in a crowded street was almost completely forgotten.

"You're pretty comfortable as a chair." Ayame said playfully, a blush on her cheeks as she poured herself another helping of Sake. "Ever think of changing careers?"

"Bite me."

"Bite me?"

A sigh of defeat, "Bite me, Mistress."

"There you go!"

"This will be a fun month." Izaya laughed from across the table.

* * *

_**Author's Note: **__Believe it or not this is the third draft of this chapter, I had plenty of ideas, then I got them on paper, then I hated them and then I rewrote them. I haven't been this temperamental about writing a chapter in a long time, and the worst part of it is that I'm still not sure about this chapter. I had such plans for the story, but once I start writing it I suddenly hate everything I write. I hope this isn't going to become a trend. _

_This chapter is more about introducing new characters than anything else, and also bringing us to the gate of Konoha and the beginning of the story proper. Punctuality wise I think I got everything, though my spellchecking has been on three individual moments, too lazy to check the entire chapter, so tell me if I missed out anything._

_I'll fix it, I swear._

_On a good note this chapter is a few pages longer than the usual updates, by about five to six pages. Not much of a substitute I know but quality over quantity and I hope the size of this one will be a suitable apology for the length it took to write it._


	3. Konoha

_**Chapter 2**_

_**Konoha**_

The gates of Konoha, four in total, were the main entrances and exits through the great walls of the village, during times of war they were usually heavily guarded by at least a platoons worth of Chunin, but in times of peace that number had been reduced to a two man guard duty on all four gates. The duty was considered an easy assignment, if considerably boring, usually handed out to those Shinobi unable to take on missions outside of the village.

Today the guard of the gates had been increased from a simple unit of two Shinobi to a ten man squad, eight Chunin and two Jonin for each gate. This was not because it was a time of war. It was for another, far simpler reason. The Chunin exams was a coveted event across the lands of the Elemental Nations, and crowds of people would come for not just the events but also the festivities, these included people from all walks of life, from farmers and peasants to nobles and lords, even the Daimyo of the surrounding nations would take time out of their schedule to be here.

Kotetsu yawned as he watched the tail end of an entourage walk through the gates, under the close eye of his partner and friend Izumo, as well as the other eight members of their gate guard squad. "Right, that's the contingent of Kusagakure for the exams, six teams."

"Yeah, that checks out," Izumo nodded his head. "That's kind of a small turnout for them this year."

Kotetsu nodded his head, looking out over one of the main streets of Konoha and marvelling at how busy it was. The actual matches for the Chunin exam were not scheduled to take place until a month after the first two phases were completed, and yet they were still getting a lot of visitors and tourists from across the elemental nations, stalls were already being setup for the influx of people over the next month, and the Shinobi were on high alert. The Chunin exams may be an honour to host, but so many foreign Shinobi in one village called for heightened security.

So far, besides the six teams from Kusagakure they also had another five teams participating from Takigakure, ten teams from Amigakure and thirty teams scheduled to come in from Sunagakure within the next few days. Kirigakure had already sent word that they would not be able to attend the exam this year, with the current civil war within the country still ongoing. They were also not expecting anyone to arrive from Iwagakure or Kumogakure, considering they had been boycotting each other's Chunin exams since the end of the last war.

That meant that Konohagakure and Sunagakure were the only ones of the five great Shinobi nations who were taking part, alongside a dozen smaller villages. It had been fourteen years since the last great war and yet tensions between the five nations were still high.

"Oi, oi, look at this." Izumo muttered.

Kotetsu followed his friends gaze and a similar frown came across his own features, walking towards the gates was a group of seven people, all wearing kimonos and most with katana within the confines of obi sashes. He spotted two men, four women and another whose gender he could not place.

"Who are they?"

"Not sure." Kotetsu replied as he approached the party. "Hold it!"

The group came to a stop, all looking at the Chunin with mixtures of annoyance and curiosity. He was expecting either one of the men or the red haired woman to come forward, but was surprised when he saw one of the youngest members of the group, a fairly beautiful young girl with long flowing blonde hair wearing an orange kimono, get subtly pushed ahead of the group. She approached the gate nervously, looking back at her group more than once.

"What is your purpose here?" Kotetsu asked, noticing Izumo flank him and another three Chunin blur into existence. If this made the girl nervous she didn't show it beyond getting pushed forward to represent the group.

"To see the Chunin exams," the girl replied after a moment of hesitation.

"Were you invited?"

"I think so." She replied as she reached into the folds of her kimono. The action caused Izumo and a few others to tense up, ready for anything, only to see her remove what looked like several tickets and present them to him. This made Kotetsu frown, tickets like that were usually reserved for Daimyo and the nobility of the several countries attending the exams, this group didn't look like nobility.

He accepted the tickets offered and looked them over, eyes widening as he saw the name on the first ticket. "Is this the party of Naruto Uzumaki?"

"Yes." The girl replied with a nod, eyes flashing to look at the Chunin assembled behind the one with spiky black hair, noticing that a few had stiffened at the name and a few others were looking at each other questioningly. She also noticed that her companions behind her were keeping their katana in plain sight, an open challenge.

"And which one is Naruto Uzumaki?"

She hesitated a moment, "That would be me."

He blinked, and then studied her for a long moment, a moment which seemed like an eternity to Naruto. She was completely unable to predict what would happen in this village, would she be relatively left alone or would she be treated as a criminal for the Kyubi attack? It was a question which gnawed at her ever since she received the invitation.

"I see, welcome back to Konoha, Naruto Uzumaki." Kotetsu greeted handing her back the tickets. Naruto was surprised to hear no malice in his words, but managed to remain neutral.

"Thank you." She replied, accepting back the tickets.

"Are these people members of your party?"

"Yes."

"Bodyguards?"

"Friends," she responded.

"I see," Kotetsu nodded before turning back to his flanking fellows, some of whom were still tense. He looked from them to Naruto, noticing her azure eyes watching them carefully, hand just a hairsbreadth away from her katana hilt. "Come on guys, loosen up. You're making her nervous."

The three Chunin who had arrived hesitated a moment, nodded, stood back to their full height before blurring away from the entrance and back up to the ramparts above. Izumo remained, offering Naruto an apologetic smile which was returned more shyly.

"Well everything seems to be in order," Kotetsu continued, looking over the checklist, at Naruto, then her group, back at the checklist and nodding to himself. "Go on in."

"Thank you," Naruto nodded her head in thanks before turning back to her party and motioning for them to continue, which they did.

"They won't cause any trouble?" Izumo asked.

"Don't worry, they won't cause any trouble so long as there's no trouble around them," Naruto assured.

"Good to know." Kotetsu nodded, making a gesture with his free hand. "Go on in."

"Thank you."

"I hope you and your friends enjoy your time here."

"I hope so too."

Naruto waited until the rest of her group arrived, and then followed them as they passed the gate and continued down the main street, vanishing from view. Kotetsu waited for a long moment, Izumo right beside him as he watched the retreating backs of their guest.

"So that's the Jinchuriki to the Kyubi no Yoko?" Izumo muttered.

"Yeah," Kotetsu agreed.

"She was nothing like I expected."

"Yeah, I'm with you there."

There was a sudden thump, and both Chunin turned to see one of the Jonin level Shinobi of the gate guard patrols, Genma Shiranui was a likable guy, with a bandanna version of the Konoha headband hiding his messy brown hair and a senbon in his mouth. The Tokubetsu Jonin responded to their greetings with a casual wave before turning to look at the retreating backs of the small Samurai group.

"Hey, boss man." Izumo greeted.

"That's her?" he asked.

"Yeah, that's her." Kotetsu replied.

"Then inform Lord Hokage."

"Yeah, that's you man." Kotetsu said to his partner.

"Yeah, yeah I got it." Izumo replied flippantly before vanishing in a blur of motion.

* * *

"So this is Konoha?"

"Yeah," Naruto answered, looking over at Ayame as she in turn looked around the busy main street, taking in all of the stalls and shops, the throngs of people, the aroma of a hundred different scents and almost just as many different sounds. Konoha was a mess of activity, just as chaotic and busy as Tanzaku Gai, only this time there was no mistaking the presence of Shinobi.

"It seems so normal," Izaya muttered under his breath. "To the untrained eye you would never guess this was a village of Shinobi."

"That's the deception," Rin said simply, eyes scanning the rooftops and taking notice as a trio of blurs passed by at speed, messengers probably. "Even though the Shinobi are the dominant force here they still keep to a few tenants of their original purpose, that of trickery and invisibility, plus normal people live here, and most of them don't do Shinobi work."

Izaya nodded, noticing that they didn't seem to be very conspicuous here. They were all armed, weapons in plain view, yet very few of the crowd gave them little more than a passing glance as they continued on with whatever they were doing. The mentality between a normal run-of-the-mill village and a Shinobi one was certainly very different.

Naruto could do nothing more than continue to scan the area, head slowly moving left and right as she took everything in. So this was Konoha. The place where she was born and the place she ran away from. It was nothing like she expected, as a child she remembered it as a nightmarish place, full of misery and loneliness. But now as she walked down one of the main streets, a complete stranger to anyone, she found that she couldn't recall most of the buildings, in fact the only landmark she recognised so far was the towering mountain looking over the city, faces of four great warriors watching them with stern expressions.

The girl took in a deep breath, suddenly realising that it was shaky. Her heart was pounding in her ears and her exposed skin started to get clammy. The throngs of people and surrounding walls seemed to close in, and the sky seemed to get a shade darker, spreading dark ominous shadows across the features of the surrounding people.

Naruto closed her eyes and shook her head, bringing her hands up to slap her cheeks in tandem and opening her eyes to see the scenery around her return to normal, but the fear remained. It was not a rational fear, but the left over emotions and memories of a four year old child, wanting nothing more than to get away.

She knew this, and took another breath.

Naruto was very good at hiding her feelings though, and suppressed a sudden need to turn around and walk back out the gate, put this place behind her and never look back. But another, stronger part of her wanted to stay, wanted to see, wanted to remember, wanted to learn. The two sides fought a brief but fierce battle in the recesses of her mind, with the more stubborn one winning.

Still a small sliver of fear wormed its way into her heart. What was this village really like? Was it really like she remembered, or was that just the biased thoughts of a young girl? What would happen to her in this village if the people here found out who she was? Would they attack her, run away or avoid her with those cold icy stares?

Yes, Naruto could take being attacked. She could defend herself. She could take them running away from her. She would not follow them. It was the memories of those cold, icy glares which brought the most fear to her. It was the memory of those eyes which looked down on her as if she were less than human, a monster, trash, scum, not worth thinking about.

That memory brought the most pain.

How would she be able to survive that again?

"I'm guessing those are the Hokage," Ran said from beside her, giving Naruto a gentle nudge to bring her attention back to reality. It worked, and Naruto looked over at her friend for a long moment before following her gaze back up to the mountain.

"Yeah, that's the four Hokage." She replied.

"It's so... gaudy."

"Huh?" Naruto looked over at the raven haired teenager, slightly taken aback.

"You'd think they were compensating for something, wouldn't you?" Ran continued, tilting her head in Naruto's direction to flash a smile, a reassuring smile.

A smile Naruto couldn't help but return, "You would think that, wouldn't you?"

"You bet," Ran agreed, before reaching out with her hand, grabbing Naruto's and dragging her along. "Now get a move on, we're getting left behind."

That's right, Naruto suddenly thought, there was a way she could survive those icy glares. She had friends who weren't afraid to stand by her side and glare right back, probably throw in an insult or two along the way. They had come here, scattered across the continent, because she asked them to come.

She would be able to take it.

"So what should we do?" Ran asked as she surveyed the scene.

"Let's find a hotel." Ayame answered as she looked around. "A nice small one without much pomp and decorum would be nice."

"So you don't want to live a month of luxury?" Izaya asked with a playful smile, a smile which the redhead returned.

"Oh I fully intend to enjoy myself, just not to the point of excess." The fiery swordswoman then turned to Shizuma with a wicked grin. "And then there's the fact that this lump here wouldn't be able to afford an expensive hotel, and how am I going to make him my slave for a month if he's halfway across the damn place."

"Good point."

"I will kill you in your sleep." Shizuma muttered lowly.

"Are you sure you want to threaten her like that," Izaya smirked.

"I was talking... too you." Shizuma countered with a feral grin.

"Oh scary," the shorter swordsman replied flippantly as he patted the hilt of one of his swords. "I dare you to try it, Shizu-chan."

"Do they really travel together?" Haku asked Naruto, voice barely a whisper.

"More or less," the blonde replied. "When they aren't on a job they act like they're the worst enemies imaginable. The stories we could tell you about drunken bar fights and chases which ended up demolishing whole neighbourhoods are near endless."

"You're kidding, right?" Haku asked with a raised brow.

"Oh no, she isn't," Rin said with a sigh, massaging her temple.

Ran chose that moment to drape an arm around him and lean in close, conspiratorially. "Let me tell you about a tale so crazy and unbelievable that you will consider it fiction until you see a similar experience with your own eyes. Hey, Naru-chan, remember that time in Kyushu?"

"Hmm, which one... I can think of a dozen?"

"The one which destroyed three city blocks."

"Gonna have to be a little more specific."

"Miyazaki," Ran continued.

"Narrows it down to two, aren't they banned from that town?"

"Yeah, the Shogun of Kyushu said, and I quote... never come back."

"Ah so it was the second, that was pretty crazy."

"What happened in Miyazaki?" Haku asked with a frown.

Naruto and Ran looked at each other, then at Haku, then back at each other, then smiled and finally continued on, each one whistling a different tune. This whole thing left a very confused ice Ninja in their wake, raised brows and all at the scene.

"Next time you're in a bar ask Shizuma and Izaya to tell it to you, it's a real scream." Ayame winked as she placed an arm around the ice wielders shoulder, leading him away from the bickering duo of Shizuma and Izaya. "It certainly caused plenty of screaming."

"Hey, hey," Ran called excitedly, turning around. "Why don't we wander around the stalls for a while, I don't know about you but the smells are making me hungry."

"Hmm," Ayame hummed as she took a step forward. "Doesn't sound like a bad idea, but Naruto should have at least one bodyguard with her at all times."

"Why?" Naruto complained with a pout.

"Hey, you wanted to come here but you've been as stiff as a board since you entered the gates," Ayame countered lightly. "Leaving you alone with that attitude might make the locals a little nervous."

"I will remain by her side," Haku said simply.

"That's nice." Ayame added slyly as she took a step forward. "I think I'll tag along as well, make sure you two keep the raging hormones in control."

"What!?" Naruto fumed, face going red.

Haku starred at the red haired Samurai for a long moment, before turning around and finding something really interesting at the other side of the street.

Ayame looked at them with wide eyes, before sighing in defeat and fishing into the folds of her kimono. She brought out a small role of Ryou notes and held them up, only for Ran to hop up and snatch them with an expression much like a cat playing with string. "And here I was thinking you were kidding, but they really are that easy to tease."

"Yup!" Ran chirped as she counted the bundle.

"You put a bet... on that!" Naruto fumed even more.

"Oh come on, I thought you had more fortitude than that Naruto. You have betrayed me." Ayame pouted as she started walking, hesitantly as if she wanted to spin around and grab the money from Ran's thieving fingers.

"It's not my fault you always choose the losing bet!" Naruto exclaimed in annoyance, noticing Ran walk over and put half of the money into Rin's waiting hand, which she rolled up and placed into the billowing sleeves of her kimono."You traitor!"

Rin shrugged. Haku looked at his charge with wide eyes. He had never expected her to lose her cool so quickly, and certainly not in a crowded place such as this. There was more than one pair of eyes looking at them from the surrounding crowd. Naruto seemed to notice this as well, for she attempted to make herself look a little small, craning her neck into the collar of her kimono, cheeks taking on a dim shade of red. This didn't go unnoticed by the other members of the group either.

"The rest of you go out there and have some fun, meet at that cafe over there in an hour, got it." Ayame said haughtily as she grabbed both Naruto and Haku by the collars of their respective kimonos and forced them to follow her.

"I look forward to our next bet, Ayame-chan." Ran waved happily.

"Bite me!"

* * *

"Wow, déjà vu," Shizuma muttered.

"The only difference is that she didn't call her mistress," Izaya joked as he walked in the opposite direction.

"I will kill you... very slowly... with a spoon." The manic swordsman said slowly and with certainty as he turned to follow.

"Is that even possible?"

"I'm about to try."

* * *

Ran laughed before reaching out to grab her sister's hand and lead her off into the crowd, "Come on Rin. I saw a Dango stand a little ways back. You promised me half a box."

"Alright, alright," Rin allowed with a smile as she allowed herself to be dragged along. "But I tell you what. I'll buy you the full box on one condition."

"What's that?" Ran asked.

"When we get to the hotel, I want the bed nearest the window."

"That's not fair." Ran whined.

"Three boxes of Dango, entirely on me."

"Deal!"

* * *

"Hungry?"

Naruto looked up at the older woman, a small smile forming. "Are you buying?"

"You got a problem with that?" Ayame asked with no hostility in her tone, just a quiet mirth.

Naruto shook her head, "No, no problem at all."

"Good, now come on sprite, let's eat," the red head smirked as she began to walk, Naruto and Haku following close behind. They made their way through the busy street, taking in the whiffs and aromas of the multiple food stalls, waiting for something which would catch and hold their attention.

"You two seem pretty close," Haku mused.

"Me and Ayame?" Naruto asked.

Haku nodded.

"I suppose," Naruto replied clasping her hands behind her back as she walked, head raised and eyes closed for a brief moment. "I suppose you could say that she was kind of like a sisterly figure to me. She was always with us during my early years, looking after me and out for me. She taught all the things sensei couldn't."

"Couldn't?" Haku asked with a frown.

"Well, more like shouldn't." Naruto backtracked, thoughtful for a long moment. "I suppose if you'd put it in parental terms I would consider her a mother, maybe an older sister."

"I see."

"The stories we could tell you would make you laugh, cry or-" Naruto stopped in her tracks, perking up as a new aroma made its way to her nostrils. The young Samurai looked around, head darting back and forth, before raising her head up and taking in a couple of sniffs of the air, attempting to pick through the mass of aromas to find what had gotten her attention.

Ayame made it another few steps before noticing that her two travelling companions had stopped, and turned on her heel and made her way back with a wry smile. "Found something you like?"

"I think so." Naruto affirmed, ignoring the people who were forced to make their way around them. No one would attempt to push through them with the weapons at their hip, so all they got were a couple of annoyed looks as people circled around them. She took a few more sniffs of the air, turned left and began walked, sidestepping her way through the crowd until she came to a very simply decorated stall.

"Ichiraku Ramen," Ayame read. "Never tried Ramen before, too be honest, what about you ice boy? Ever try Ramen before?"

"No," Haku replied with a sigh as he followed after Naruto, not really liking the new nickname.

"Don't like the nickname huh? Good, very few nicknames are those you like."

Naruto had already pushed the blinds of the small establishment to the side, and sat down on an empty stool, recently made available as a small group of jovial customers had just left as she entered, looking to her right to see that the menu to the stand, eyes glancing over everything. This was new territory for her, considering she had never tried ramen before. Ayame and Haku followed her in, taking seats on two empty stools to the blonde's right and also looking at the menu.

"Welcome to Ichiraku," a young woman with long auburn hair greeted politely. Naruto turned, seeing a beautiful girl dressed in a plain white robe, sleeves pulled up to her elbows and a white bandana tied into her hair. She smiled cheerfully at her three new customers. "What can I get you?"

"Uh?" Naruto replied thoughfully, pouting as she looked up and down the menu. "I think I'll have a Miso Ramen, please."

"Coming right up," the girl replied, jotting the order down before looking at Ayame and Haku. "And what can I get you two?"

"Wild Black Cod Ramen please," Haku ordered.

"Shiro Ramen," Ayame muttered under her breath thoughtfully. "What is Shiro Ramen?"

"It's made up of thick, wavy noodles with a broth made of miso, chicken, pork bones, seaweed kelp and vegetables with hints of garlic and ginger. The toppings include fried tofu, bean cabbage, bamboo shoots and miso-simmered ground pork." The waitress summed off easily, obviously knowing the recipe off by heart. "It's a newer dish from the Land of Waves. A lot of interesting stuff has been coming through since they reopened their borders with us."

"I see," Ayame muttered thoughtfully, then smiled. "Why not, I'll have a Shiro ramen."

"Coming right up," Ayame nodded, jotting down the three orders before turning to the second person behind the bar, "Hey dad, one Miso, one Black Cod and one Shiro Ramen!"

"Coming right up!"

"So where should we stay?" Ayame asked after a moment of silence, Haku and Naruto looking her way. "I mean we don't really know the layout, and these tickets are just for the Chunin exam."

"We could ask around, see where we could get a decent hotel which isn't too expensive." Naruto said thoughtfully, shaking herself of the aroma which at the moment seemed to be the next best thing to bliss in her world. "I mean if we're going to be staying here for a month we can't afford to get too over the top."

"There's bound to be a few affordable hotels, and the Chunin exams are still a while away so they shouldn't be full yet." Haku pointed out. "The first and second stages are closed off to the public and only the third stage is shown through the coliseum. That's how it's been since these exams were founded."

"Why is that?" Ayame asked.

"The first stage is basically a written exam, so not many people would be interested in it and the second stage is usual a survival exam, lasting several days and usually in a very large area, so you wouldn't be able to watch it effectively. Only the third stage is considered friendly to spectators because it's basically fighting matches." Haku explained to both Naruto and Ayame, feeling a little nervous by having their full attention.

"So we didn't need to come here so early?" Ayame asked with a frown. "That's kind of annoying."

"Stop whining sis, it's basically a month long festival," Naruto chastised lightly. "It's best to come in early, think about how hard it will be to find accommodation when the actual fights happen. That will be a nightmare."

"Then why are so many important looking people coming here so early, I saw more than one wealthy looking person while I was walking down the street." Ayame asked quizzically.

"The Shinobi hold the power here," Haku explained. "The Daimyo and their courts hold very little power when it comes to the military, sure they manage most of everything else in the country but that's just bureaucrats at work. In these countries the Kage's and Sato-Osa are the ones who hold all of the power, and at a word they could destroy the civilian government and build another one from scratch."

"Kind of like back home, with the Shogun and his Shogunate, or in lesser cases a Daimyo and his War Council, running the show and the actual civilian government nothing more than a visage." Naruto mused before turning to her elder. "Think of it this way, take the Kage and replace them with the Shogun, and do the same with the lesser village leaders and the Daimyo from back home. It's basically the same system, just different names."

"So the Shinobi bring down the original twelve Samurai nations here, and replace them with basically the same nations with the same form of government." Ayame chuckled wryly, appreciating the irony of one force bringing down another only to employ the same systems all over again.

"Not exactly the same, once the Shinobi defeated the Samurai here and became aware that they couldn't extend their revolution further west they basically fell back to their clan based system without the Samurai to keep them in check," Naruto explained. "That led to a long era of mercenary wars and clans for hire until the Senju and Uchiha formed the first Ninja Village. The other clans either joined them or built their own villages in response, signing agreements with several countries."

"Daimyo," Haku muttered thoughtfully, looking between Naruto and Ayame. "You said that the smaller nations where you come from are ruled by Daimyo?"

"Nothing like the Daimyo here, believe me." Naruto waved off. "Basically the Daimyo of our region are like the Sato-Osa of yours, rulers of smaller nations not considered great powers."

"I see," Haku allowed. "So a Shogun is like the Kage, and the Daimyo are like the Sato-Osa where you come from."

"You got it in one, kid." Ayame smirked. "Where we come from there are four great nations, each ruled by a Shogun and his Shogunate, and surrounding them are couple of a dozen smaller nations, ruled by Daimyo and their own councils. None of the smaller nations would dare go against any of the four great nations without the support of another great nation, so they act as buffer zones between the four, keeping the peace."

"I see," Haku mumbled thoughtfully. "Your side of the continent basically exists as a number of large powerful nations who do not share a border, because they are buffered by a number of smaller states, whose existence is to stop the larger states from declaring war on each other, is that correct."

"You got a smart one there Naru," Ayame said with a wink. "The difference in land borders has definitely shown in recent history. The Samurai haven't had a major war in nearly a hundred years, while you lot have had three in roughly that amount of time."

"So you don't have wars?" Haku asked sceptically.

"Oh we have wars, plenty of wars," Ayame answered. "They're just mainly border skirmishes and proxy wars. A few of the smaller nations or alliances of smaller nations get into a war, they're backed by one or two of the four Great Nations in way of logistical support or actual combat troops, and it would escalate into a regional conflict. The smaller nations gain and lose territory and the larger nations lose and gain influence. That's basically been the art of warfare for the last hundred years."

"Seems a little wasteful," Haku mentioned.

"But it works, sad as it is," Naruto cut in. "Basically the four Great Nations are so powerful that if one fully committed itself to a conflict then it would pound all of the smaller nations into the ground, each Shogun commands tens of thousands of combat ready Samurai, between twenty to thirty clans and their Retainers per each Great Nation, while the Daimyo could only call upon Samurai from a half dozen clans combining into an army of only thousands. It's a delicate balance, and if one of the four did that then the others would have to as well, which means-"

"We would have a Third Great War, first in a hundred years, and it would take years, cost hundreds of thousands of lives and reshape the borders on our side of the continent," Ayame finished. "It's a delicate balance which existed since the Second Great War ended a century ago, and none of the powerful nations are willing to start the third."

"So basically, you're lands are locked in a Cold War," Haku surmised.

"He is smart." Ayame jested light-heartedly.

"Here are your orders," the ramen girl called as she placed the three bowls before the three customers with expert precision.

"Can I have a jug of Sake as well?" Ayame asked.

"Coming right up," the waitress chirped as she turned.

"I'll have a small jug," Naruto added.

"Me as well," Haku finished before turning to his charge. "I thought you said that you would never drink alcohol again, after that little endeavour in the Land of Waves."

"That was the hangover talking," Naruto replied staunchly, folding her arms and looking as her self-appointed Retainer in defiance. "I rarely drink that much, and I won't ever again."

"If you say so," Haku allowed, drawing an annoyed look from his charge.

"And why are you drinking?" Naruto asked pointedly.

"I heard that Konoha's Sake was some of the best on the continent," Haku shrugged. "In the Land of Water the Sake is exquisite; I want to see if the boasts are true."

"Mm-hmm," Naruto hummed as the picked up her chopsticks and used them to pick up a mass of noodles, absently bringing them to her mouth and slurping them up. She stopped, using her teeth to bite off what she had already placed in her mouth and chewed for a few moments before gulping the remains of the food down. For a time she remained where she was, shoulders shaking, bringing looks of concern from her two comrades.

Haku spoke first, "Ah, Naruto?"

"This-"

Her words seemed to be cut off by a convulsion, which made her self-appointed Retainer even more nervous. Had someone realised who she carried early on? Had they spiked her food with poison? These were questions which he feared the answer too. "Are you alright?"

"Am I alright," Naruto asked, looking over at him with teary eyes and a smile which would melt any weak willed man's heart. "Am I alright? I'm fantastic, better then fantastic actually."

"Now this I have to taste," Ayame declared as she picked up her own chopsticks and pulled them apart with an audible snap.

Haku just looked at Naruto for a long moment, watching as she set upon the fairly large bowl in front of her with gusto, almost as if she was inhaling the food presented to her before turning back to his own bowl, taking the chopsticks and breaking them apart before he started to eat the food himself.

The ramen was definitely good, very good in fact; best he had eaten in a long time.

* * *

A knock on the door dragged Hiuzen Sarutobi from his work. His stamp of approval pressed against the front page of the top document in his slowly shrinking pile. The ancient solider, known with fear and respect throughout the elemental lands as 'The God of Shinobi' gazed at the heavy oak door separating his office from the outside world.

"Enter."

The doors opened with a creek, and a young man he recognised but could not place marched into the office, his dress and lack of a flak vest informing the Hokage that he was of Chunin rank. He wore a bandana variant of the headband all of his Shinobi wore, just keeping shoulder length messy hair at bay.

"Ah, Izumo-kun," the Hokage greeted gently, just remembering the young man's name a mere moment before the name left his mouth. It truly was terrible, getting old. "What have you to report?"

The young Shinobi waited until the heavy double doors closed with a clack, then waited another moment until the privacy seals activated before looking up at the Hokage. "Lord Hokage, I have been sent from the Eastern gates guard detail to inform you that Naruto Uzumaki has just arrived in the village, accompanied by another six individuals."

The news caused the aging leader to hesitate before marking another document with his seal, but after a moment of hesitation he pressed the stamp against the paper before setting it to the side. He leaned back in his chair, hands clasped together as he looked at the young Chunin with a critical gaze.

"It is definitely her?"

"Definitely, Lord Hokage," Izumo affirmed with a nod, relaxing his stance as the Hokage sent him a disarming wave of his hand. "The description matched the one Hatake Kakashi sent in his report, and the descriptions of another three of her travelling companions also match the report. When questioned she confirmed her identity and presented the tickets as proof."

"I see," Sarutobi nodded his head. "Where is she now?"

"We allowed her and her companions to enter the village, my lord, but a few guards are tailing them." Izumo reported calmly. "We decided to wait for your command before approaching them."

"Good thing you did," the aging Hokage nodded his head. "Leave her and her companions alone for now, continue with your current duties, and thank you for the update."

"Thank you, Lord Hokage."

Sarutobi nodded with a smile as the young man turned on his heel and left the office, the huge double doors opening and closing behind him. For a time Sarutobi remained where he was, seated in his chair, before opening a drawer to his right and picking out a smoking pipe and a pack of matches. He lit the match, placing the pipe in his mouth before lighting it and flicking out the flame. The old Hokage began to think, puffing smoke from his mouth.

Naruto had returned.

He had never thought he would hear those words in the twelve years since she had gone missing. He had almost completely given up hope that she would ever be found. The full might of the ANBU corps could not locate her, no matter how far they searched and the entire event had left the aging man with a feeling of failure and guilt which was added onto the countless others in his life.

He had thought her lost. The only child of the Fourth Hokage, his successor and predecessor, container for the strongest of the nine Biju of legend, one with the blood of the nearly extinct Uzumaki clan coursing through her veins. Her loss had weighed heavily on him, not because of her heritage or the burden she carried, but because he genuinely cared about the girl.

Now here she was, sixteen years old, in good health according to the report he received from Kakashi, and a wandering Samurai. It was an interesting turn of events to say the least. Sarutobi was happy to hear that she was alive, and apparently had grown into a beautiful young woman; according to Kakashi she had her mother's personality and her father's looks.

He looked forward to meeting her.

There was a flurry of movement, and Hiruzen looked to his right to see a member of his bodyguard detail kneel beside him, dressed in the attire of an agent of the ANBU black ops, with a white porcelain mask covering his face, shape and symbols taking the form of a wolf. "Summon Hatake Kakashi to my office."

"Yes." The masked agent nodded before vanishing in another blur of motion.

Sarutobi, unfazed by his subordinate's sudden departure, once again leaned back in his chair in deep thought, absently puffing at his pipe. A small smile graced his features as he turned in his chair to look out over the village he loved and led.

Naruto was alive, and she was here.

That was more than he could have possibly hoped for.

* * *

_**Author's Note: **__There was a large scale upheaval at work over the last month, so became a bit of a second priority. Most of us were moved from one department to another, there was a couple of weeks of training before we were moved over, and now I'm working 10hr shifts over 4 day weeks rather than the 8hr shifts over five, and I admit I would rather do the 10hr shifts, an extra day off makes all of the difference._

_**Author's Note 2: **__Back to the story, and there wasn't much action this chapter, covering the arrival of the Samurai in the village, a little bit of information on the Lands to the West, aka the Samurai Lands, and the reaction of the Hokage. I decided to make it that Naruto would not be identified by the villagers because, let's face it, she was 4yrs old when she left so she wouldn't be easily recognizable and the Hokage is smart enough to keep her identity fairly secret, at least for the moment. _

_**Author's Note 3: **__I also find it annoying that Ninja in most fanfic's don't seem to know the meaning of sensitive information, and many more seem to be unruly and without restraint (Hands up if you've read a fanfic where Naruto is attacked suddenly and without provocation within the boundaries of Konoha as nothing more than to show that the inhabitants are full of hate and bitter?) so I'm making sure that does not happen in this story. It also makes the leaders of the village look incompetent, which I know they aren't._


	4. Reunion I

_**Chapter 3**_

_**Reunion I**_

"Yo,"

"Finally, here you are?"

"Well you did ask for me."

"That was three hours ago."

"Well, I was on my way, but then-"

"Don't tell me, you ran into this little old lady and helped her with her shopping back to her house?"

"Ah-"

"Or maybe a black cat crossed your path and you had to take the scenic route to avoid bad luck?"

"Hmm,"

"Or my personal favourite, you got lost on the road of life."

"Oi, oi,"

"Kakashi, when the Hokage of Konoha orders your presence it's not good manners to keep him waiting." A sigh, followed by a mass of misty tobacco smoke as the old man turned to face one of his most talented, yet most tardy, Shinobi. Kakashi at least had the dignity to look sheepish, crouching on the open windowsill across from his desk. "It's a good thing I am aware of your little eccentricities, went home and had dinner with my family before coming back, and I still had to wait another half hour."

"Well by that logic you wouldn't have been here if I were on time," Kakashi pointed out as he hopped off the windowsill and into the office of one of the most powerful individuals this side of the continent.

"True," the old man conceded as he puffed out another breath of smoke. "I suppose I will only give you a stern caution to try and be on time in the future, but I know it is a wasted effort, eh?"

Kakashi smiled, only noticeable by the curling up of his one visible eye. "So, how can I help you, Hokage-sama?"

"Three and a half hours ago I received a report from the east gate, a small group of individuals passed through it around mid-afternoon, flashing tickets usually reserved for high ranking figures and nobility. One of them was Naruto Uzumaki."

"So she accepted the invitation?" Kakashi asked. He had hoped that Naruto would accept the invitation, but had prepared himself for her not showing up at all.

"Indeed she has."

"Have you met her yet?"

"No, I thought I would leave her alone for now, let her enjoy an evening with the village in the festival spirit." The Hokage replied as he leaned back in his chair. "I plan to have someone escort her to the palace tomorrow morning, once she gets settled and has a good night's sleep."

"Is that all, it isn't so you could steel your nerves?" Kakashi asked with a raised brow.

The Hokage was silent for a moment, before shrugging his shoulders in way of response. He would admit to himself that he was a little uneasy with meeting the Fourth's legacy again after all this time. He worried if she was bitter, angry or scared of him and the village she ran away from when she was barely a child.

That worry gnawed at him, more so than any piercing blade.

He also needed to remind himself that he wouldn't be dealing with a newborn he could pick up with ease or a child whose little hand was so tiny compared to his own. He was dealing with a young woman now, a young woman with her father's looks and her mother's spirit according to Kakashi's report.

Yes, maybe he was delaying their reunion to steel his nerves.

He was getting old.

"I take it you called me here for more than to inform me of her arrival?" Kakashi asked.

"You are correct there," Sarutobi said in way of reply. "I believe it would be easier for her to come here if she was being escorted by someone she knows, and at least partially trusts. I want you to go to her hotel tomorrow morning, and escort her here."

"You want me to escort her to the palace?" Kakashi asked.

"Yes."

"Sounds easy enough," the Copy-nin shrugged.

"Mm," Sarutobi agreed. "Pick her up at about nine o'clock or so, and please don't be three hours late like you usually are."

Now Sarutobi was using language that Kakashi understood. He told him nine o'clock in the morning, but in reality he meant noon, because asking Kakashi to be at a place at a specified time was begging him to arrive three hours later. This way Naruto got the sleep in, Sarutobi got extra time to strengthen his resolve and Kakashi got to continue playing the role of the tardy, annoying, aloof, indispensable Shinobi.

"I'll try, Hokage-sama." Kakashi allowed.

"Do or do not, Kakashi," Hiruzen chastised softly. "There is no try."

The legendary Copy-Ninjas reply was a lazy salute before he moved to leave by the way he had come, through the open window. Sarutobi watched him as he rose to his feet, feeling his old bones protest slightly at the movement. "Just once, would it really be a bad thing to use the door?"

Kakashi looked at his superior, amusement clear in his one visible eye, "Where's the fun in that?"

The Hokage sighed as he walked around his desk and towards the door of his office, only for a thought to hit him mid-step. "Oh, that reminds me. Have you handed the forms for the Chunin exams to your team yet?"

He turned to see that Kakashi was already gone. The old man looked at the closed window for a long moment, before blowing out another puff of tobacco smoke, and turning around continued on his journey from his office of power to his nice home with his family.

"Typical Kakashi," Sarutobi muttered under his breath, though he still smiled, "Always leaving things to the last minute."

* * *

The sunlight streamed through the cracks in the drapes, casting piercing light through the dim shadows of the room. Outside the silence was quietly broken by a duo of birds perched on a nearby power line, singing an early morning melody to herald the arrival of a new day.

Naruto groaned before opening a single eye, raising her head slightly to look around. The young woman sat up in bed, stretched her arms and yawned widely. It took her mind a moment to realise that she wasn't sleeping in a tent or sleeping bag, a bit longer to feel the soft comfort of a mattress, and longer still to remember where she was. That's right, she was in Konoha.

A feminine groan brought her attention to the bed next to hers. The first thing she noticed was the long mane of crimson hair, noticeable even in the low light. The room that they were staying in was simple accommodation, two beds, a desk and chair, a pair of glass double doors leading out to a balcony overlooking one of Konoha's main roads, and an en-suite bathroom down the hall, next to the door leading to the main hallway.

Naruto threw the covers from her form, swivelled around and jumped to her bare feet, walking over to the drapes and throwing them open, letting the glorious sunlight spill through unopposed, bathing the room in its glorious early morning rays.

"Ah what the hell," Ayame mumbled with a groan, turning to her side, away from the light and pulling her quilt up over her head.

"Rise and shine," Naruto chirped.

"Damn you, kid. Can't you ever sleep in!?" The older Samurai reached across her bed to her nightstand, grabbing the alarm clock and looking at it with bleary eyes.

"I am sleeping in, it's nine o'clock."

"It's seven in the bloody morning."

"Seven, are you sure?" Naruto asked, walking to her own bedside cabinet and picking up her own alarm clock, frowning at the dials before turning and walking towards the glass doors to the balcony. "Hold on a moment."

"Naruto, don't you dare open those doors," Ayame growled threateningly then ground out a curse when the doors slid open and a gust of cool early morning air sucked the heat from the room. "Ah, god damn it."

Naruto wasn't listening, walking out onto the balcony in her nightgown and looking up at the clear blue sky, taking in the position of the sun before walking back into the hotel room and closing the balcony doors behind her. She then walked to her nightstand, grabbed her clock and adjusted it accordingly.

"Well?" Ayame asked, agitated. She wasn't an early morning person by a long shot, known for suffering from low blood sugar. Most of their little group could testify that the eldest lady of the group was like a walking zombie until she drank her first cup of strong coffee. She even kept a supply in a storage scroll at all times for such a purpose. It also really annoyed her when someone tried to get her up before she was ready to get up.

The blonde didn't answer and slunk back into bed, offering the redhead a sheepish smile, "Sorry, my bad."

"Naruto,"

"Yes?"

"Set your alarm clock for ten will you, please?"

* * *

Naruto had partially lied to Ayame. She didn't set her alarm clock for ten. She didn't set it at all. Instead she waited until nine o'clock before quietly getting out of bed, washed and dressed before leaving just as quietly through the front door. She was just walking down the corridor, absently tying her hair back into a long ponytail when she noticed that she wasn't the only one awake at this hour.

Haku was leaning against the wall near the stairs, arms folded and head bowed, eyes closed as if he were in some kind of brief meditation, broken when he opened his orbs and turned to face her with a smile and a nod. "Good morning."

He had dressed himself in a simple white tunic and pair of dark pants, no mask and no noticeable weapons, yet Naruto knew all too well that he had an arsenal stored somewhere on his person. He'd also changed his hairstyle, instead of it being tightly tied back with two strands framing his face he simply tied it back in a slightly messy ponytail. His new casual look, as he told her.

"Morning," Naruto returned, yawning despite her best efforts.

"Where were you going at this hour?" Haku asked.

"Just out for a walk," the blonde replied.

"Is it alright if I join you?"

"You always do, why not spoil the record." Naruto replied as she walked past him.

Haku shook his head as he righted himself and followed in her stead. If Naruto wasn't training or on the rare occasion sleeping during the early morning she was walking, especially when she was in new territory she was unfamiliar with. Her walks were simply her scouting out a new area, and in her mind Konoha was no different.

They walked down the stairs, waved at the early morning receptionist who waved back and exited the front of their hotel into one of Konoha's main streets. The local population was already up and about, stall vendors were just finishing their preparations for the next day, staff of the local shops and cafes were opening up shop, and these places were already fairly busy with early risers.

"Do you want breakfast?" Haku asked, taking in the smell of the food being cooked.

"Nah, I want to explore more." Naruto replied with a smile as she walked down the street, Haku followed with a shrug. "You know if you're worried about me you don't need to be."

"I never said I was," Haku replied easily. Naruto turned to him to see him walking at a serene pace, head bowed and eyes closed as he followed her. "I have been accompanying you on these little walks of yours for the last four months Naruto, believe me I know you can look after yourself, I just find walking with you quite refreshing."

"Oh and why is that?" Naruto asked, interested.

"Because I enjoy moving about, seeing new things, just like you do." Haku replied. "I am a Shinobi, and I do like to know the areas I visit, see the ground so I can remember where to go to when I'm in a tight corner."

"Is that all?"

"I also enjoy walking with you, it can be... fun."

"Fun?" Naruto asked with a smirk.

"Yes," Haku replied, looking up at her with a smile, "Fun."

Naruto looked right back at him, feeling her cheeks darken a little from a blush before snapping her head back to the road ahead. "I think it's kind of fun to have you around as well."

"Thank you," Haku replied.

Naruto lowered her head, hoping that her cheeks didn't look as heated as she felt they did. The words of the twins and Ayame echoing through her ears, like a trio of laughing hyenas when they each _examined _Haku in turn, nodded to themselves and proclaimed that he had their permission to court her.

What the hell did court even mean?

She needed to change the subject, quickly. Her mind chose that exact moment to go blank though, so she was unable to think of anything to change the subject too. So here she was, red as a tomato as she desperately tried to find some form of conversation to take.

"So how does Konoha seem to you, Naruto?" Haku chose that moment to come to her rescue.

"Eh?"

"Konoha," the ice wielder repeated with a placid smile. "Is it the same as you remember?"

He either didn't notice her blush or chose to draw it down to something else, either way Naruto found herself grateful to whatever deity was listening. Then she remembered the question and found herself flinching ever so slightly by the unwelcome memories it brought. She silently strengthened her resolve, and then with new eyes looked around the street they were currently walking through.

"Not really," she replied honestly, looking down at the dusty road and then around at the many white timber buildings ranging in size from two to three to even four storeys, to the rooftops which had shingles and tiles of reds, blues, oranges and greens. Trees and other plants were in abundance, surrounding the buildings and making the village seem like it was part of the greater forest. It seemed so different from her memories. "It is different from what I remember."

"There's less fire and brimstone, isn't there?" Haku asked good-naturedly.

"Mm," Naruto replied with a nod. "There's less of that and more greenery and life. I suppose my memories as a child are a little bias."

Haku smiled a little, nodding a hello to an elderly couple. Naruto did the same with a pleasant smile which the duo returned before continuing on their way. The ice wielder swore he heard the old lady remark on how pretty his master was, a compliment which Haku agreed with. Naruto was one of those girls who never wore makeup or highlights; she just came and went as herself.

"A child's outlook on the world can be different to that of an adult," The ice wielder agreed. "Still be wary here, Naruto. I don't want to find out you were kidnapped and have your friends start a war in the middle of one of the five great villages to get you back."

Naruto smiled at his words, turning to face him. "If I was captured, would you come to my rescue?"

Haku was about to reply, but stopped as his eyes took in her appearance, a thought crossing his mind as he simply looked at her. Naruto was so beautiful when she smiled like that, with the slight crinkling of her whiskered cheeks, closed eyelids, full lips and messy blonde bangs framing her face. He barely noticed it before, but he did now. His usual response didn't come, and he found himself silent.

He found her smile slowly falling as she opened her eyes, looking at him questioningly. This wasn't the first time she and him had exchanged words such as this, so why was it so hard to respond to her now? Damn those three for teasing them like that the other day. It was making him start to think about her more than he usually did, or should.

"I am your retainer," he said at last, voice returning, though a little jittery. "Of course I would get you back."

He walked past her, head high and attempting to look as regal as possible and somehow managing to pull it off. Naruto watched his retreating back for a moment before moving to follow him. What was that about? That was the first thought which crossed her mind as she moved to catch up with him.

They walked in silence for a long moment, and then a smell caught Naruto's attention. She stopped and turned to her left, right at a food stand which was just finished preparing its first round of food for the upcoming day.

The food was Sushi, and Naruto looked at it with a hungry gaze. Haku stopped a few steps ahead, looked at his mistress then at the stand she was starring at. He sighed as he walked back to her just as she was about to move on. "Let's get some Sushi, eh?"

Naruto looked at him, "You don't mind?"

"It's early, and we haven't eaten anything yet." Haku replied as he walked towards the stand. "I'll buy this time."

"Awesome," Naruto replied as she followed, their past insecurities and awkwardness almost melting away like they had never existed at all. No matter what feelings they were contending with they were still best friends, even if Haku would not admit it in public, and they knew each other quite well after six months of travelling together.

"We're being followed," Haku murmured, eyes caste to a rooftop at the other end of the street.

"I know," Naruto replied, her own eyes looking at the exact spot as they reached the entrance to the stand and pushed past the blinds.

* * *

"Put me... down!"

"Hey, you just barged into me. Why not apologise or something."

This was not how Kiba envisioned his day, and until now he had been having a pretty good day. Finding out that he and his team had been chosen to take part in this year's Chunin exams had been a nice surprise, even if it was pulled on them at the last moment by their tardy teacher that didn't take away the gravity of what they had been chosen to undertake.

He could become a Chunin faster than his older sister, something to finally lord over her about. He had been on top of the world a few minutes ago, so what happened to make this whole scenario go so unbelievably wrong? It started when his self-proclaimed disciple, Konohamaru, and his loyal band of friends showed up, angered Sakura from some silly misunderstanding and had both them and him running from her wrath. Why she decided to add him into the possible business end of her haymaker he had no idea.

The chase abruptly ended when Konohamaru rounded a corner and bumped into this guy. He wasn't from around here, Kiba and Akamaru could both testify to that. He wore a baggy black suit with what looked like cat ears on the hood. It covered almost everything but his face, which was covered with purple markings. On his hood was a headband plate, symbol for Sunagakure clearly noticeable.

Right now this Shinobi had Konohamura by his tunic, holding him above the ground easily by one hand as the marked Shinobi looked down at the younger child with nothing but annoyance and borderline distain in his dark eyes.

Just behind him was another Sunagakure Shinobi, this one a girl, and like the one holding Konohamaru up she looked a few years older than him. She was also quite pretty, with sandy blonde hair done up in four small ponytails, wearing fishnet gear under a light lavender off the shoulders garment which stretched to midway down her thighs, a scarlet sash tied at her waist. The fishnet was also worn on her right calf and left thigh of her legs and a forehead protector with the Hidden Sand symbol tied around her neck.

She sighed, clearly annoyed with the entire situation before looking at the other Shinobi with piercing turquoise eyes. "Let him go Kankuro, this is ridiculous."

"Eh, but the little bugger just bumped into me without any consideration as to where he was going," Kankuro replied as he glared at Konohamaru's squirming form. "That's a little rude, wouldn't you say?"

The girl crossed her arms and sighed again, "Fine, do whatever you want, but I'm not being held responsible for this, got it?"

Kiba didn't like where this was going. Konohamaru wasn't putting up much if any kind of a fight, his friends were acting like children their age did when they came across something which frightened them, and that was standing there, pleading with the suited Shinobi, but not doing much else. Sakura wasn't doing much either, though she did have a serious expression on her face as she studied these two.

That left him, he supposed. Kiba looked at Akamaru, who looked back at him for a moment before getting the silent command and popping out of his hooded jacket. The youngest of the Inuzuka clans main house righted himself, glaring at the cat suited Shinobi. "Hey, cat boy, I'm talking to you."

"Huh, who the hell are you?" Kankuro said mockingly.

Kiba growled low in his throat, Akamaru doing exactly the same thing as his white fur stood on end. He liked Konohamaru and his friends, rowdy and uncaring of the rules, even if they could grate on his nerves a little from time to time the trio coming before him and proclaiming him their sensei just because he showed them a few moves solidified them as members of his pack, them giving him the title _boss_ didn't hurt much either.

"Doesn't matter who I am," he replied, hissing breath through his clenched teeth as he lowered himself and fell into his family's basic fighting stance, that of the feral wolf. "Let the kid go, or you'll have to contend with us."

"Us?" the Suna Shinobi asked, looking around for a moment before his eyes fell upon the snarling form of his partnet.

Akamaru barked, and then snarled in reply.

"Ah, an Inuzuka," the black suited boy replied with no lack of mocking, a grin forming on his painted features. "I've always wanted to beat one of you guys."

"Why not come at me and try and do just that, I'll rip you apart if you don't put him down." Kiba replied with a feral growl.

"Typical Inuzuka, all bark and little real bite," Kankuro replied, and Kiba noticed that the female Shinobi flanking him was slowly reaching for the large fan across her back, turquoise eyes focused on him and what he was going to do next. She may have been against her partner doing what he was doing, but she would come to his aide if need be.

Could he beat the two of them by himself, Sakura at least seemed to realise how serious this situation was becoming, for she was lowering herself and reaching for her weapons pouch, but Kiba had a feeling that they were currently outmatched by these two. Their demeanour, their form, their style and the way they held themselves. It all made it abundantly clear to him that these were not some simple green Genin they were facing, but Shinobi who had spent years training and preparing for this moment, for this exam.

"What's wrong?" Kankuro asked mockingly, with mirth as his grip on Konohamaru's tunic became even tighter, "Where did all of that spirit go!?"

The hand came out of nowhere, gripping onto Kankuro's extended arm, surprising the Shinobi. Kankuro looked to his right, eyes slightly wide to see a girl who was maybe his age, maybe a few years older, standing beside him. She wore an orange kimono, a katana sheathed inside a black obi sash. Her hair was a long dark blonde, tied in a ponytail. Her skin was tanned with piercing azure eyes and noticeable whisker markings, three on each cheeks.

"Put him down." The newcomer demanded with words laced with steel.

"Huh, who the hell are you?"

"Naruto," Sakura muttered in surprise. It was definitely her, if the blonde hair and clothes didn't confirm it the whisker markings on her cheeks did.

"Naruto?" Kiba asked in surprise before glaring at her. "Hey Blondie, what the hell are you doing here!?"

Naruto ignored them, instead continuing to fix her ire on Kankuro, who returned her glare with just as much ire. The tense atmosphere left and with a smirk the suited Shinobi dropped Konohamaru, who landed in a pile, before raising his right hand to scratch his nose. "Alright, if you ask nicely."

It happened in a heartbeat.

He jumped back, hand reaching for his kunai pouch as his partner removed her large fan from her back. Naruto did not hesitate in moving between them and Konohamaru, hand on the sheath of her weapon, and thumb pushing the hilt of her katana, ready to draw at the slightest hint of trouble.

Haku appeared to her left, right hand raised, a senbon needle held menacingly within each knuckle as he glared at the two Suna Shinobi. "Now, now, I don't think any of us want any more trouble, won't you agree?"

It was a tense standoff. The tension did not cease until something collided with the black suited Shinobi's head with enough force to make him flinch in surprise. The small pebble bounced off his cheek before hitting the ground, leaving the target of the strike angry and bewildered. "Owe, what the hell was that!?"

Naruto's head turned slightly to the right, a small smile gracing her lips as she looked up at the tree beyond the side path. "Yo Sasuke, it's been a while."

Sasuke looked down at her with a sigh, tossing and catching another small stone with his right hand before throwing it to the side. He was perched on one of the mid branches of a large oak tree, leaning against the tree before bringing his attention back to Naruto with a smirk.

"Yo,"

"Might want to come down here," She continued, folding her arms within the long sleeves of her orange kimono as she looked back up at the tree. "I can smell the bloodlust coming from the one behind you, even from here."

Sasuke felt it immediately after she said it, and jumped from his perch onto the street below, landing and spinning on his heel, finding himself right beside Naruto and her self-appointed retainer as he glared up at the tree he had once hidden in, and glared right at the silhouette currently standing on the branch above his.

He was an intimidating creature, his skin was pale and his hair was a bloody red, the tattoo of the kanji for love was above his left eye, carved in dark red ink, around his green eyes were black markings with no discernible eyebrows. His outfit was that of a full body black suit with short sleeves and an open neck, as well as a white cloth which stretched from his right shoulder to his left waist. A large gourd was also carried from his back, connected by a black satchel.

He looked down at them, arms folded and eyes uncaring at the three of them. "You're names?"

"Sasuke Uchiha," Sasuke answered tersely.

"Naruto Uzumaki," Naruto replied, folding her arms.

"Haku Yukimura," Haku responded.

The red haired teenager nodded, "I apologise for my teammate's rudeness. It will not happen again."

"Its fine. I'm guessing with these exams coming up you Shinobi would be a little edgy." Naruto continued the pleasantries, even though her body was currently coiled like a tightly wound spring. The sense of bloodlust had ebbed away a bit, but it was still there, like a weight at the back of her mind. Whoever this boy was he was no friend of theirs, or anyone else. There was something wrong, so horribly wrong with his very presence, least of all his eyes.

The eyes were the eyes of a dead person, twin pools of deep darkness which threatened to drag you in and never let go. Naruto knew those eyes. It may have been almost a decade ago, but she remembered seeing similar eyes every time she looked in the mirror as a young child, those eyes didn't completely leave her until two years after joining sensei.

His gaze finally left her and settled upon Sasuke, "So you are the last of the Uchiha. I look forward to facing you in the exams."

"Likewise," Sasuke replied with his usual aloofness, hands in his pockets and posture slightly slouched; "and your name?"

"My name?" the boy asked, tilting his head.

"Kind of rude to have us introduce ourselves yet you do not." Sasuke replied.

A long pause, "My name is Gaara, Subaku no Gaara."

Haku's eyes narrowed slightly at the name. Gaara, where had he heard that name before?

"Gaara of the desert, how fitting." Naruto allowed.

"Kankuro, Temari, we are leaving." The gourd wearing Shinobi said with finality, turning around just as his teammate's voiced their agreement.

"Hey," Kiba yelled. "Don't you want to know my name?"

"No, I don't." Gaara replied nonchalantly before vanishing in a swirl of sand, Kankuro and Temari also vanished as quickly as they came, leaving a group of silent people and a fuming Kiba in their wake.

"Well that was interesting." Naruto muttered under her breath.

"Mm," Haku replied absently.

"Very interesting," Sasuke agreed with a smirk.

"Do I detect a bit of interest?" Naruto asked with a cheeky smile.

Sasuke's only response was to shrug.

"Sorry to spoil your fire there." She apologised easily.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted dismissively.

"Still got that sword I gave you?"

"Yeah,"

"Haven't drawn it yet?"

His response was to reach to his back and throw the sheathed katana out into the street, easily caught by his off-again on-again sword fighting instructor who then inspected the simple weapon, right down to examining the cord tying the hilt to the sheathe before nodding to herself, tossing it back to him, which he caught easily.

"Good, no sign of tampering."

Sasuke nodded his head, obviously.

"Do these villages have any training grounds?"

"Yeah," Sasuke replied, "Obviously."

"Then let's go to one, I want to see if you've improved any." Naruto replied. "Impress me enough and I'll let you draw that sword."

"Impress you?" Sasuke asked with a raised brow.

"Yeah," Naruto replied cheekily. "Impress me."

"What the hell are you doing here!?" Kiba asked, annoyed that he was being left out of the conversation. His outburst brought him pain when Sakura smacked him on the top of his head, making the Inuzuka stumble.

"Don't be rude, moron." She said furiously.

Naruto laughed, "Well some things never change, how you doing Sakura?"

"Fine," she replied with a smile.

"Still keeping the loudmouth here in check?"

"Hey!"

"Someone has too," the pink haired girl shrugged, ignoring Kiba's squawk of indignation.

Naruto nodded, before looking down to see Akamaru circling around her feet, sniffing her occasionally. The blonde knelt and raised her fist, allowing the small dog to close in and give it an experimental sniff, remembrance came and along with it a little excitement. The little puppy jumped up and down, barking happily and wagging his tail as Naruto picked him up, cradling him in the crook of her left arm as she scratched the back of his ears with her right hand.

"Hello little guy, miss me?" she asked, receiving a bark of content from the small white puppy.

"Akamaru, you traitor!"

"To answer your question I was invited, by your sensei." Naruto replied to his earlier question.

"Really?" Kiba asked, questioningly.

"Don't be rude, Kiba!" Sakura growled.

"What," he barked in disbelief. "I was only asking!"

"Nothing changes, does it?" Naruto asked Sasuke.

He shrugged in way of response.

"Who's the girls?"

The Ninja and lone Samurai turned to the three younger members of the group, all of whom were looking at Naruto and Haku with suspicion. The little guy was kind of cute, folding his arms and trying to look intimidating but failing miserably, the girl to his right was looking at her with something akin to awe, while the third member, a boy with a runny nose and glasses, looked like he was silently analysing her.

"I'm Naruto," she introduced herself.

"Haku," her self-appointed Retainer added, looking at Konohamaru with slight annoyance. "And I'm not a girl, I am a boy."

"No way," Konohamaru exclaimed in disbelief. Moegi and Udon were also looking at Haku with just as much disbelief. It was actually comical, especially when Haku's hand made contact with his face, shaking his head.

"Why do people think that?"

Naruto put a hand on his shoulder comfortingly, "You just have one of those faces."

"You're not helping." He replied dryly.

"Who are you guys?" Konohamaru asked. "You're not from around here."

"Smart for such a little runt, isn't he?" Naruto said with a smile, seeing Konohamaru take the bait.

"I am not a runt!" he yelled indignantly.

"You'd be right that we're not from around here," Naruto replied as she looked over at Haku. "My friend here is formerly from the Land of Water, As for me I don't really have any place where I am from, I've been a wanderer for most of my life. Though if I had to name a place I call home it would have to be Nagasaki."

"Nagasaki," Udon asked with a frown. "I've never heard of it."

"That's not surprising. It's far to the west, beyond the Land of Iron and the badlands." Naruto replied with a chuckle.

All three academy students looked at each other questioningly. The furthest known country to the west was the Land of Iron, a secretive land which was famous for being the last nation to have Samurai as their primary fighting force. Beyond their borders was a seemingly endless desert known as the badlands, no country claimed it for it was considered inhospitable, and it was rumoured to be full of criminals, missing Ninja, Ronin Samurai, bandits, traitors, murderers, rapists, failed revolutionaries and survivors of now destroyed countries. It was a place where those who found themselves on opposite ends of authority tended to retreat too.

In short it was not a place civilised people went.

They looked at Naruto with more suspicion, which she raised her hands in surrender. "No, I'm not from the badlands. The place I call home is much further west... in fact."

She reached into the folds of her Kimono, and pulled out her ticket. She made it a habit to keep it on her person at all times now that she was in the village, just in case anyone tried to get cute with her. She knelt down and showed it to Konohamaru and his friends, the young boy recognising his grandfather's signature on the slip, which the girl then placed back into the folds of her kimono.

"Ah, there you are."

The kids jumped at the new voice, but everyone else were more composed, mainly because they all knew that voice. Naruto looked up to the fence beside them, flashing a smile and a wave at the man who was now perched on one of the stumps. "Yo, Kakashi-senpai."

Kakashi smiled, noticeable as his one visible eye curled up and he raised his hand in a wave of his own, "Yo, Naruto, how have you been?"

"Pretty good," she replied. "What about you?"

"Oh you know, still trudging along" Kakashi replied before lowering his hand and hopping down to the ground, right in front of Naruto, ignoring the looks of awe from the three young children. "Want to walk?"

"Sure," Naruto replied in the affirmative.

Kakashi nodded before turning to his Genin team with an apologetic look, "Sorry guys, but we're going to be cancelling the usual meeting today. Use the day to get yourselves ready for the exams, remember that they're tomorrow."

Kiba grinned, Sakura smiled at the very memory that she was in the Genin exams, even Sasuke allowed a small smile to cross his features at the thought. Kakashi waved them off, alongside the three academy students before turning back to Naruto and Haku. "So have you enjoyed your journey through the elemental nations?"

"Yeah, it's pretty cool." Naruto allowed with a smile and a nod. "We couldn't get to the Land of Water, so we headed north through the Land of Lightning then a few of the border countries to the north before rounding back here."

"You were near Kumo then?"

"Yeah,"

"How was the Land of Lightning?"

"Pretty cool, met some interesting people." Naruto allowed.

"You almost got yourself killed, Naruto-sama." Haku shook his head, ignoring his charges annoyed look.

"Ah come on Haku, it ended alright in the end." Naruto exclaimed.

"I suppose." Haku allowed as he eyed Kakashi, taking in the posture and appearance of the man who killed his original master and teacher. He would admit that he hated him during the months after the crisis in the Land of Waves ended, but thanks to travelling with Naruto he had come to terms with those series of events. Zabuza-sama and Hatake Kakashi had been on opposite ends of a life and death struggle, and his former sensei lost that struggle.

Naruto had helped him see that.

"What happened?" Kakashi asked with a raised brow.

"We had a run in with a Jinchuriki." Naruto huffed as she folded her arms. "She was fighting with a couple of Missing Ninja when we stumbled in. She thought we were associates of the Nukenin and attacked us, I fought back, and her targets escaped during the commotion... we kind of knocked each other out."

"Knocked each other out... Naruto-sama, your hit on her was pure luck."

"It still worked, didn't it?"

"Indeed, a double knock out."

"Anyway, we managed to explain ourselves when we both came too, and helped her track down and apprehend the Missing Ninja. Apparently they were members of a failed coup against the Raikage and his inner circle." Naruto summarised for the Shinobi. "She was actually really nice, if a little unused to company."

"It did take a while to convince her that the food we gave her wasn't poisoned," Haku allowed.

"Like I said, unused to company," Naruto countered. "Anyway, we kind of parted ways as friends so it was all good."

Kakashi listened to this, but didn't want to pry any further. Naruto had said that she really wanted to travel through the elemental nations, so the other four great nations and their Shinobi villages would obviously be in her travel guide. It was always a possibility that she would run into other Shinobi besides those of the leaf, and it was an equal possibility, if unlikely, that she would make friends and acquaintances in these nations. If there was one thing he learned about Naruto during the mission in the Land of Waves it was that she was very outgoing, very friendly, and in turn made friends very easily.

"Sounds like you've had a very interesting six months." Kakashi allowed.

"You bet we did," Naruto smiled widely. "This place is so different from the Samurai lands, similar layout of countries, but different peoples, different ways of life and culture."

"You've become quite the traveller."

"Mm," Naruto nodded her head before turning back to Kakashi. "It is good to see you again, Kakashi, but I have a feeling that you finding us was not chance."

"You're right there," Kakashi allowed as he stopped, watched as Naruto managed another step before turning back to him, Haku following her lead. He looked into her eyes for a moment, seeing her questioning gaze before finally speaking. "I was sent here to collect you, for your meeting with the Hokage."

"Oh," Naruto allowed, looking down at the dirt road in deep thought. Her smile leaving her features to be replaced by consternation and worry. Kakashi expected this much, surmising that the Hokage wasn't the only one nervous about the reunion, and also surmised that he wasn't the only one putting it off to steel his/her nerves.

Naruto had to be nervous as well.

Naruto was nervous. Ever since she had walked through the gates of this village she had known that she would be called into the presence of the leader of the village. It was inevitable, and she did have memories of the old man, that kind smile, that grandfatherly feeling which seemed to resonate from him. That feeling that in a village full of people he was the only one who cared. There were nights, during her training and after, where she wouldn't be able to sleep. Remembering the old man and feeling a sense of guilt. Guilt in that he had believed in her, and she had run away.

Did he hate her for running away?

That one question was the source of a few sleepless nights when she was a child. She had thought that those fears had abated with age, but over the last few months, as the Chunin exams closed in she began to feel those same fears and thoughts again. How would he greet her when she entered his office? Would he be the same kind old man she remembered? Would he hate her for running away?

Kakashi was silent, waiting for Naruto's answer.

"Well, let's go then." She said at last, raising her head to lock eyes with Kakashi.

The Copy-Nin nodded his head, "Follow me."

"I would like to accompany you as well," Haku spoke up.

"Haku?"

"I wish to remain by Naruto-sama's side."

Kakashi eyed the ice wielder for a long moment. "You will have to disarm once we reach the tower."

"I understand." Haku nodded his head in agreement, not breaking eye contact with the older man, not even for an instant.

Kakashi continued to gaze at the Land of Water native, studying him, before nodding his head. "If Naruto agrees with it I will allow it."

Naruto looked from Kakashi to Haku, and then back at the Jonin. She seemed to think for a long moment, before opening her eyes to meet those of the Copy-Ninja. "Is it okay if he comes?"

"It is." Kakashi nodded.

"Then I want him to come."

"That's alright, follow me." Kakashi then turned and jumped high with a chakra propelled leap, using the fence as a springboard to land on the roof of a two storey residence. Naruto and Haku looked at each other for a moment before mimicking their guide's motions, following him across the rooftops.

"Haku," Naruto called, looking over at him.

"Yes, Naruto-sama?" Haku asked.

"Thank you."

Haku looked at her, and smiled serenely. He was her retainer, and her friend, whatever Naruto had to face in these coming weeks she would not face it alone. He would stand beside her, alongside her brothers and sisters in arms as she came to terms with her own feelings, and learned more about her own past. "You're welcome, Naruto-sama."

* * *

_**Author's Note: **__Ever since I started this story I had the idea of redoing the confrontation between Team Seven and the Sand Siblings, and now that I've done it I feel a little underwhelmed. Ah well it's up to you guys. I also hope I got Naruto's thoughts and feelings across when Kakashi arrived. I've seen too many stories where he is so sure, goes in and shouts and cries... one where Naruto is actually nervous of the reunion is a nice change, I think._


	5. Reunion II

_**Chapter 4**_

_**Reunion II**_

For Naruto entering the central palace, the residence of the Hokage, was more than an unnerving experience. The moment she saw the huge structure, towering over her and the buildings surrounding it, she began to feel time slow down to almost unbearable levels. Everything around her no longer seemed to matter. They weren't a part of her world.

The only things that registered to her was the palace before her and the breath inhaling and exhaling from her mouth. She couldn't help but allow a wan smile to spread her lips. She was a real mess at the moment. She was going to see him again, him, the Hokage of Konoha, the one person she remembered fondly from her time here as a child.

The questions running through her mind were rampant and full of hesitancy and doubt. A piece of her wanted to see him again, and another piece, a cowardly piece, wanted to run away from the Palace, from the village, from the country. Her mind fought this battle until she was standing on the front steps, leading to the entrance of one of the largest buildings in the village, the Hokage's residence, her destination.

She looked up at the huge towering structure, eyes seeing everything and nothing, mind still fighting a desperate struggle between facing him or running. A hand came to her shoulder and gave her a comforting squeeze. She turned, suddenly brought back to reality, the hustle and bustle of the people around her, the quiet patience of Kakashi as he stood at the top of the steps, waiting for her. Haku was standing beside her, offering her his quiet but undeniable support.

At that moment all of her doubt and indecision left as suddenly as it came. It was almost as if her self-proclaimed Retainers very presence brought her the strength she needed to quiet the coward and force her to move forward, up the steps and through the entrance.

The moment she was inside she was met with three Shinobi, all wearing the grey pants and jacket of Administrative Chunin. Naruto was on edge immediately, as was Haku, only Kakashi's form passing by her to stand between them and the Ninja kept her calm. He turned to her and offered a smile as his one visible eye curled up.

"Relax. These men are just here to take your weapons. They'll be returned to you once you leave the building." The Copy-nin explained.

Naruto hesitated for a moment, before nodding and unclasping her katana from her obi sash, handing her most important possession to Kakashi, who handed it to one of the Chunin standing behind him. Haku watched Naruto for a moment before unclipping his senbon wrist launchers, weapons pouch and a few storage scrolls.

"Your scrolls as well, Naruto," Kakashi added.

Naruto offered the Jonin a wry look, before sighing in defeat and pulling back the sleeves of her kimono. She placed a hand, saturated with chakra onto her right forearm. The moment the chakra connected, prickling her skin, seals began to form. To any trained eye they were basic storage seals, but on her skin instead of paper.

More seals began to appear, running from her wrists to her upper arm of black inked kanji and runes, like an intricate mosaic of tattoos. The Chunin tensed when they sensed a build up of chakra, followed by Naruto making a basic seal with her hands and muttering the word to release.

"Kai."

There was a puff of smoke, encompassing her form. The Chunin tensed further, one reaching for a weapon only to be stopped by a raised hand from his superior. What followed was an explosion of clattering equipment colliding with the ground. When the smoke cleared Naruto was standing in the middle of a small mountain of weapons including knives, axes, kunai, shuriken, batons, steel wire, a shield, a trident like spear, a fuma shuriken, a double headed battle axe, a broadsword and a chain scythe.

"Impressive, you're basically a walking arsenal." Kakashi surmised before turning to the wide eyed Chunin, each looking not at Naruto but at the weapons on the floor. "Make sure those are put in storage, and when they leave return them, all of them."

Everything else to Naruto was a blur. She barely remembered being led through the lobby and into the maze of corridors and rooms of the tower, up a winding flight of stairs and down yet more corridors. She didn't remember if they passed by any people, or of anything anybody said to her, all she remembered was suddenly coming to a stop in the middle of a small room, an antechamber between the outside world and the main office of the Hokage.

It was furnished with a couple of waiting chairs and a low table, the scents of age old wood and long spent tobacco smoke seemed to be etched into the air as Kakashi explained to her that he would go in first and let the Hokage know of her arrival. He disappeared through the timber double doors at the other end, leaving Naruto and Haku alone.

Haku walked past her and sat down on the sofa, allowing him to sag into the fabric as he looked at his dazed charge. Naruto remained standing, waiting for Kakashi to come back out and tell her that she could enter. Her mind was once again reverting back to the panic and the dread, a quagmire of doubt and fear.

She was like that for just a scant few seconds before the door opened and a familiar head of silver hair leaned through. Kakashi looked at her, eye curled up. "The Hokage will see you now."

Naruto forced herself to swallow a dry gulp before nodding her head, looking over to Haku who shook his head in bemusement and motioned her to go ahead. She felt a little stupid now, so with a slight dash of pink on her cheeks she walked, watching as Kakashi fully entered the waiting room and opened the door fully for her to pass.

Naruto slowed for but a moment then forced her fear away and took a step through the threshold. She had come too far to get cold feet now. The office was just as her foggy memory remembered it. A spacious room with a mahogany desk sitting on the far side, positioned in front of a large open window giving any resident a breathtaking view of the Hidden Village. On the wall to her left were portraits of the Hokage who had come before and the one who was supposed to come after the current bearer of the title.

Then her eyes fell upon him, and she stifled a gasp of surprise. She supposed that this was all a dream she would wake up from when she entered the room, yet here she was, standing in the office of the Hokage, looking upon an image half forgotten by time. From the red and white robes of his station to that goofy hat with the symbol of fire emblazoned on it, he hadn't changed his choice of clothes, under the hat she saw a leathery face, the bare sight of white hair and a few liver spots yet those dark eyes were what she remembered the most, sharp as a man half his age.

Naruto remembered those eyes when she was a young baby, one of her last memories she still remembered. When the man before her took a crying toddler into his arms and calmed her, told her that it was all going to be alright and that he would be there for her when she needed him.

He looked up at her, and for what seemed like an eternity she was expecting to be scolded, to be met with a harsh glare of a man who had been betrayed. Instead she was met with soft brown eyes. He rose from his chair and walked around his desk, giving her a nervous smile.

"Hello Naruto, do you remember me?"

There was no answer, not in the second, nor the ten seconds after he spoke those words. Naruto felt her control slip ever so slowly, felt the warmth of tears which slid down her face, the blurring of her vision. His nervous smile turned to one of worry; hurriedly she wiped her tears away with her right hand before walking up to him on suddenly sure and hurried steps. Before he could speak she wrapped her arms in him in an embrace, burying her head into his chest.

"How can I ever forget you, old man?" She managed, forcing herself to swallow down a sob.

The Hokage, initially stunned by her reaction, allowed a grateful smile to overtake his features. She didn't hate him, the relief he felt at such a moment of clarity was unparalleled. He slowly wrapped an arm around her shoulders, subtly using the other to shoo away the four ANBU watching from the rafters.

"Welcome back, Naruto." Sarutobi said softly with all the affection of a grandfather welcoming a granddaughter he had not seen in many years. "You've grown so much."

She managed a watery laugh. "And you haven't changed at all."

"Hmm, you think so?"

"I know so."

"Not true, I've gotten old." He replied.

"You think so? To me you haven't changed one little bit."

Hiruzen smiled warmly at those words. "Shall we have a seat?"

"Sure."

The Hokage didn't go back to his seat; instead choosing to sit beside her on the second visitors chair as she sat down and got comfortable, all of the worry and dread which was so expressive in her bright eyes now forgotten and he was glad for it, replaced by an intensity which reminded the old man of her parents.

"I have so many questions," she said, managing a weak smile. "I have so much I wish to tell you, but also so much I wish to know. I don't know where to begin."

The old man gave her a comforting smile. "Well, I knew that you would have questions, so we will start with them. Just let the words flow." _And hopefully you won't hate me when we're done._

"Right, let the words flow." Naruto repeated, taking a deep breath to steady her before looking right into the Hokage's dark eyes. "Who am I?"

* * *

"You are sure."

"I am. I have seen her with my own eyes." He knelt before his master, for all intents and purposes an ANBU black ops agent, dressed in black with a grey flak jacket, arm guards and black gloves. The mask of a bird, a swallowtail with black markings, was slightly bowed, half hidden by a messy mass of black hair. "She arrived in Konoha yesterday afternoon, alongside a handful of individuals. Naruto Uzumaki is in Konoha."

His master remained silent, giving no outward sign that he had heard his agents report, a cup of green tea rising up to his mouth as he took a sip. The ANBU did not make any further attempt to speak to his master, knowing that he will address him in his own time.

"So the Kyubi Jinchuriki has returned to Konoha," the old man muttered, looking at the dark liquid of his drink through a single dark, sharp eye. "What is her current location?"

"In the office of the Hokage," Swallowtail replied without hesitation.

"And what has the little Fox Kit been doing since she arrived?"

He raised his head ever so slightly, white porcelain mask emotionless. "The Jinchuriki and her compatriots have so far lodged themselves into the Green Tree Hotel. Other than that they have done nothing of note."

The old creature hummed thoughtfully, silent for a moment. "I want my agents infiltrated into their watch details."

"It has already been done."

"Very good, anything of note is to be reported directly to me. You are dismissed."

His agent was already gone before the last syllable left his lips, vanishing into nothing and once again leaving him alone.

* * *

"Who am I?" The old man did not speak, did not try to hurry her. He simply waited for her to elaborate, to speak her questions. "I know what I carry, old man. I know of the monster which sleeps in my bones."

It was barely conceivable, the Hokage's reaction, the slightest widening of the eyes before his expression was schooled again. "How did you find out?"

"On my tenth birthday," Naruto replied with a smile devoid of humour. "I had a dream. I didn't understand it at the time, and I barely remember, but it was the first time I entered the place where he was imprisoned. He beckoned me into the cell, and I almost went in. He nearly took me. I woke up to find my sensei hovering over me, shaking me awake. His hands were burned, clothes were singed. I learned not long after that I had formed a single tailed Demon Cloak."

"I see," the old man managed.

"I nearly killed my teacher." Naruto said, there was sadness in her tone, but the age for it to be faded. "It was sensei who found out that I was a Jinchuriki. After he recovered we began visiting places across the Samurai nations, places of knowledge. He delved through books and scrolls when he wasn't seeing to my training, trying to find references to what he had seen."

"He found what he was looking for, I presume."

Naruto nodded.

Sarutobi sighed, "I see. So you know the truth."

"I know what I am, what is sealed inside me." Naruto responded after a moment of hesitation, for a brief moment her eyes showed a scared little girl. "I know that I am the Jinchuriki to the Kyubi no Yoko, the Nine Tailed Demon Fox."

"Do you want to know why?" Sarutobi asked.

"No, with how sudden the attack was I was probably the closest child to hand." Naruto shook her head. "I'm not interested in why I was chosen to hold this thing, because I already know. My questions are more personal."

"I see," the Hokage allowed.

"So back to my original question," Naruto continued, clasping her hands together as she looked into the eyes of the most powerful man for hundreds of kilometres. "Who am I? Who were my mother and father?"

"Your mother and father?" Hiruzen Sarutobi repeated thoughtfully. He knew that such questions would come, either if she remained in Konoha or outside of it. For the longest time he had argued with himself on when and if he should tell her. She deserved to know, looking into those bright eyes, full of emotion, pleading for him to answer, he knew this.

"You're mothers name was Kushina, and yes Uzumaki was her last name." Sarutobi began, seeing her eyes light up, suddenly he saw something he thought he would never see again. He looked into the eyes of a child again, excitement and joy at being told something she had wanted to know for her whole life.

"Kushina," Naruto repeated softly.

There was no anger that he did not tell her, no resentment of any kind. "She was one of the last known survivors of the Uzumaki Shinobi clan."

"What was she like?" Naruto asked, trying to rein her excitement in and doing so, barely.

"Hmm," the old man hummed for a moment, remembering old memories. A child with messy red hair, chubby cheeks and blue eyes gleaming with mischief came to his mind, and it brought a small smile to his face. "When she was young she was talkative and tomboyish, at times arrogant, impulsive and stubborn to a fault. You could tell her immediately by her long red hair and piercing blue eyes, which she has passed down to you by the way."

He looked up to see Naruto smiling, eyes looking at everything and nothing as she listened.

"She was very beautiful, and as an adult she was calm and level headed, although she still had quite the temper." He continued to recount wistfully.

Naruto was silent for a long moment, digesting this information about her parentage, about the woman who had given birth to her. Sarutobi did not continue, simply waiting for the moment when she was ready. Finally she looked up, taking a deep breath to calm herself, he saw that there were tears forming in her eyes, but she quickly rubbed them with the sleeve of her kimono before they could shed.

Finally she was ready, "And my father?"

The Hokage hesitated for a brief moment, telling Naruto about her mother was one thing, telling her about her father was something else entirely. Her mother had enemies, this was true, but her father had so many more enemies, and they were so much more powerful. If these people ever found out that the offspring of the infamous Yellow Flash lived then they would try to find her, and her life would be in danger. "Your father's name was Minato Namikaze, and you already know his face."

"I do?" Naruto asked, blinking in surprise.

"His face is one of those engraved on the mountain, the fourth face." He slowly saw recognition dawn, and taking a deep breath he continued. "Naruto, your father was the Fourth Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato. The Yellow Flash, Minato Namikaze."

The Hokage waited for a response, any response, but none came. He looked up, expecting to see many things, but instead he watched as she fell back into her seat slowly, a hand raising up to her forehead as she took in the information she had just been given, a small smile spread across her features, tears streamed unabated, leaving slimy trails down her cheeks.

"Do you have a picture of them?"

Surprised by such a simple request, it took Hiruzen a moment to respond. "Yes, yes we do. I can see about getting a copy for you."

"I would like that." Naruto allowed, reaching up to whipe her tears from her skin. "I would like that a lot."

"I'll see to it." The Hokage allowed, relaxing for the first time since the reunion began. All of his fears of being at the end of her wrath forgotten, he had expected the worst and now he realised he gave this young girl too little credit. "I must admit, I thought that by the time this meeting was done you would hate me."

"Hate you?" Naruto sounded genuinely surprised, mirrored in her eyes. "Why would I hate you?"

The Hokage shrugged. "That I kept this information from you, that I did not do enough to protect you. I thought that instead of proclaiming you Minato's daughter I would keep you hidden in the Village. I was so fixed on his enemies that I did not see the animosity that would be directed at you from those who survived the attack. For all of that, I am sorry."

"You thought I would hate you for this?" Naruto looked a little hurt, but quickly managed to school herself, a soft smile on her features. "You may be the leader of this Village, but you are not god. You cannot be everywhere at once and you couldn't protect me every minute of every hour. What could you do? Force the coldness from their eyes? Force their hatred of the Kyubi away? Force the entire village to accept me and move on? You could not do this old man."

The Hokage looked at her for a long moment, taking in and releasing a deep breath he had been holding. The breath he had been holding since finishing his statement, and the one he had been holding in ever since he had proclaimed her identity to be kept a secret all those years ago.

"I will admit, there is a part of me that does want to shout at you," she allowed, shaking her head. "But everything that you did concerning me was to try and protect me. My father would have had powerful enemies, and I would probably have been a target of revenge or worse. If anyone is weak it was me for running away, not you."

The Hokage raised his hand to cover his face, as if to massage his temple, but in truth to rub away the tears forming before they had a chance to flow. He did not know when she got up from her chair, and was unprepared for when she wrapped her arms around him in a hug, burying her face into the nap of his neck, tears still flowing. She thought she was ready to know this, but in truth she wasn't.

"Would it make you feel better if I shouted at you, old man?" she asked; voice little more than a croak.

Sarutobi hesitated for a brief moment, taking in her words, before closing his eyes and returning her embrace, allowing a couple of tears to flow down his weathered old cheeks. He was suddenly glad he had dismissed his ANBU detail when Naruto entered the room. There was no way he was going to allow them to see him like this.

"I probably might." He allowed.

"Well I'm not," he could feel her watery smile and the mischievous glint in her eyes. "Consider that your punishment."

He couldn't help but chuckle.

"So what was my father like?"

"Calm, respectful, perceptive all come to mind, the complete opposite of your mother I might add. These were traits he seemed to keep with him for most of his life, from being a child to adulthood" He began, smiling once again as Naruto released him and sat down, sleeve of her kimono dampening as she once again rubbed at her features. "He was also quite handsome; you take a lot after him in appearance, blond hair, and blue eyes, tall and strong. He had a way about him that made people trust him, a determination and will which few others possessed."

Naruto took in this information, gaining mental images of her parents in her mind's eye, and also trying to accept the realisation that she was both the child of a Hokage of Konoha and one of the last remaining descendants of the Uzumaki clan. It was an awful lot to take in, and Sarutobi knew it. She would need some time to come to terms.

A change of scenery might be called for.

"There is a little place just down the street that does some of the finest Ramen in Konoha," he began, watching as she looked up at him quizzically. He offered her a hand, smiling. "Would you like to join me?"

"I would love too, Hokage-sama." She replied; taking his hand and letting him pull her to her feet.

"Follow me then."

They exited the office and into the antechamber, where Haku, Kakashi and the Hokage's ANBU were waiting for them. The secretary looked up from her desk, a look of surprise on her face that Sarutobi had left his office. Haku and Kakashi both rose from their seats, an uncomfortable silence suddenly forgotten. The former bowed his head in respect, while Haku slowly edged to Naruto's side.

"Are you alright, Naruto-sama?" Haku asked, keeping up his professional courtesy.

Naruto did not react the way he expected. Instead she shook herself off as if she were in a daze before flashing her self-appointed retainer a nervous smile. "I'm fine, Haku."

"A friend of yours?" Sarutobi asked.

"Yes, a very good friend." Naruto replied. "This is Haku, my... _self_-appointed retainer."

"_Self_-appointed retainer?" Sarutobi frowned, tasking in the boys attire and recognising it as from the Land of Water, mostly from the Hunter-nin mask clipped to his belt. "If I am not mistaken you are from the Land of Water, am I right?"

Haku recognised the man immediately and, whether he be born in a rival land or not, showed the proper courtesy and respect deserving of one who held the title of Kage, "I am Hokage-sama. My name is Haku Yukimora, Retainer and protector of Naruto Uzumaki."

"A Samurai with a Shinobi protector, now there's a bit of history," Sarutobi mumbled thoughtfully, waving off his ANBU before turning to his secretary. "Yuki, could you cancel my appointments for the next hour?"

"Off course, Hokage-sama," she replied with a slight stutter, rising quickly from her chair and bowing in respect. "May I ask where you're going?"

The Hokage stopped at the doorway, "Just out for a walk. I had a sudden urge for Ramen. Will your friend be joining us, Naruto?"

Naruto hesitated, looking to Haku for a moment before back to the old man. "Yes, if that's alright?"

Sarutobi flashed a warm smile in response before turning and walking towards the open alcove separating the antechamber from the main corridor. Naruto followed, Haku close behind. "ANBU, you are dismissed for the next hour, and Kakashi please return to your students."

They exited into the main corridor and walked for a time before the Hokage spoke again, "Naruto, I believe it is time you obliged this old man with a few stories of your own."

"Stories of my own?" she asked, brow raised.

"Why yes, you've been gone for several years, leaving me worried sick I might add. I would like to know what you have gotten up to during your travels." The Hokage eyed Naruto for a long moment, feeling a moment of satisfaction at seeing her squirm ever so slightly.

"I... I have no idea where to begin," she said at last, hand raised to scratch the back of her head, sheepish smile in place. Haku was surprised. She looked up at this man as a grandfather who had caught her with a hand in the cookie jar. He knew she was originally from the Land of Fire, but how connected was she?

"Try the beginning," the old man chastised softly, and with a little mirth.

"Right, the beginning," Naruto allowed, she took a deep breath, hesitated a moment and began.

* * *

_**Author's Note: **__Long absence from any work whatsoever and I apologise to everyone for that, hopefully I'll get out of this trend soon and back to writing, but expect updates of everything to slow down for a while longer. This is a shorter chapter than I'm used to writing, I usually try to keep my chapters at least 10 – 12 pages long, but this came up as only 9, just seemed like the right time to end the chapter._

_This is how I think a reunion would play out between Naruto and Sarutobi, I remember back when I read almost every Naruto fanfic which peaked my interest and after a while I realised just how bad some of them were, no offense to any writers out there, I really enjoyed the stories, but too many fanfic writers would have Sarutobi out as someone to be bashed and degraded for keeping Naruto's heritage from him. He was the son of the Fourth Hokage, a man who had many enemies outside of the village. The best way to protect him would have been too make sure he stayed out of the limelight. If the Hokage suddenly proclaimed Naruto's heritage like so many people would want then there would be assassins after him every day of the week and twice of Sundays. I wanted to portray this teenage version of Naruto as someone who understood that._

_Anyway hopefully I should be getting back into some kind of swing of things soon, just be patient with me. _


End file.
